Thieves in Paraguay Replace 44 Police Battle Rifles With Plastic Replicas

Police battle rifles in Paraguay were quietly swapped for plastic and wood replicas, only spotted during a weapons inspection after the real ones began to appear on the local black market. Originally, Paraguay media said that 42 rifles had been swapped, but the Interior Ministry later referred to 44 automatic rifles. National media called the theft the “most embarrassing scandal” in the history of the country’s police force after the switch was revealed following the inspection by police on Aug 21. The inspection was prompted after the FN Fal battle rifles began to appear a year ago on the black market, where they can fetch up to $10,000 (7,785 pounds), according to the BBC.