54 arrested in illegal fishing smuggling network: includes carabineros and public officials
The PDI dismantled a network for commercialising marine resources in the Los Ríos Region. Among those arrested are three uniformed officers, a Sernapesca employee and a municipal adviser.
54 arrested in illegal fishing smuggling network: includes carabineros and public officials
A coordinated operation between detectives and prosecutors made it possible to dismantle a gang dedicated to clandestine trafficking of marine species in the southern zone of the country. The action resulted in 54 arrests, including law enforcement officers and state employees.
The investigation began in April 2024 and was carried out jointly by the Police of Investigations, the Public Ministry and the National Fishing Service. During the formalisation hearing, prosecutors revealed that five of those arrested were employed in public bodies.
The group of officials involved comprises three members of Carabineros, an inspector from Sernapesca and a collaborator in the municipal administration of Valdivia. Judicial records indicate that these individuals warned the organisation about scheduled inspections and allowed merchandise to pass without corresponding controls.
The municipality of Valdivia issued an official statement confirming the initiation of an internal disciplinary procedure. The local administration expressed its willingness to cooperate with the justice system and reiterated its commitment to institutional integrity.
The head of the PDI in Los Ríos, prefect José Miguel Cea, explained that the criminals moved the cargo during hours of light traffic to avoid being discovered. The merchandise ended up in the hands of end consumers, causing twofold harm: risks to public health and substantial tax losses.
The representative of the Public Ministry in the zone, Tatiana Esquivel, clarified that austral hake was the most traded species, although golden conger, silversides and locos also featured. All of them high-value commercial resources which, in some cases, show critical extraction levels.
The criminal scheme had an organised structure: suppliers who extracted the products from Los Lagos, transporters who moved them in the early hours of the morning, sellers who distributed them in Valdivia, accountants who managed the profits and corrupt officials who neutralised control operations.
The charges facing those arrested include money laundering, tax fraud, bribery, falsification of official documents, criminal conspiracy and violations of fishing regulations.
Source: CNN Chile
Source: Google News CL — Crime