Gunmen possibly make off with millions in deadly Paraguay heist

April 25 (UPI) -- Officials in Brazil and Paraguay said gunmen carried out a raid on a Paraguayan private security firm and could have taken millions of dollars after a two-hour shootout with police.

Media outlets in Paraguay are calling the early-Monday heist in the Ciudad del Este border city the "assault of the century." Security forces killed three gunmen in the shootout and arrested seven others, two of whom were injured. One police officer died.

Two suspects were arrested in the Brazilian state of Paraná, which borders Paraguay. ABC Color reported police launched a raid Monday night on a luxury residence in Ciudad del Este near the Prosegur security firm, where officers found evidence including explosives, military uniforms and bulletproof vests. A police official said up to 10 people presumed to be Brazilians occupied the residence, adding that security forces in Brazil and Paraguay are conducting raids in both countries following the heist.

Police officials said up to 50 men raided the Prosegur headquarters. The suspects blew up the front of the building and engaged in a gunfight with police. Police said the suspects likely fled in Prosegur armored vehicles and then transferred the stolen goods on boats waiting at the Paraná river for transport into Brazil.

Brazilian police said the suspects traveled about 30 miles downriver, where they were intercepted by police. After a gunfight, the suspects again escaped.

Paraguayan police officials said the vault has the capacity to hold up to about $40 million of cash and goods but it is not yet clear how much the suspects seized. Prosegur said the gunmen did not take loot worth $40 million.

Local media outlets report the Brazilian criminal gang known as Primer Comando de la Capital, or PCC, presumably carried out the raid.