“In the fourth installment of a special investigation on arms trafficking, we present ghost weapons, with 3D printers, without a license or folio number … they are easy to assemble and transport, which makes them much more difficult to detect and register.”
“A joint operation between Ecuador and the United States made it possible to dismantle an organization that was dedicated to arms trafficking and production
The Police managed to establish that, about four and a half months ago, at the end of 2022, alias ‘ War ‘ imported a 3D printer from the United States , brand and model Tormach 1100M .
His goal was to make exact replicas of the weapons he received from the United States and sell them in Ecuador to drug gangs. To achieve this ‘business’, along with the weapons, Chica-Giler sent the manuals to Ecuador , which included technical characteristics, measurements and other specifications. These data were entered into the printer, which reproduced exact replicas of the reports .
These parts were assembled and put into operation by alias ‘Arquímides’, another member of the organization. He is a passive-duty military man and has experience and knowledge in gunsmithing.
A police source explained to PRIMICIAS that the organization was dedicated to replicating MP15 rifles , which were identical to the originals. They made them with polymer. The difference is that these weapons, because they were handmade and with less technology, were sold for 30% of what an original rifle cost. That is, about USD 3,500 to USD 4,000 . While an original can cost around USD 15,000.”
“A man in his 50s from Småland is charged with extremely serious weapons offences.
He is suspected of producing, among other things, automatic weapons with the help of 3D printers, weapons that were to be sold on to Foxtrot.
– They give 40,000se (Around 4k USD) for an automatic weapon, the man is said to have said.
When asked why he gets involved in 3D printing of weapons, he answers:
– It’s funny. There are competitions too.”
Impro Guns 