The swoop, carried out Monday in the 13th arrondissement, or district, in the southeast of the capital, netted a replica Kalashnikov assault rifle, a large number of .357 Magnum bullets and 250 grammes (half a pound) of explosives with a detonator, all found in three garages nearby, they said.

Twelve kilos (26.4 pounds) of heroin and a similar amount of cannabis were also discovered.

Police said the raid came after a weeks-long surveillance operation. They decided to proceed with the arrests when 15 people, many of them drug addicts, started gathering around the apartment.

WAR.WIRE