In Chile, the Regional Customs Directorate of Iquique and the High Complexity Prosecutor's Office of Alto Hospicio achieved the historic compensation of $ 1.033 million pesos (USD 1 million 100 thousand) in favor of Customs for a cause linked to the cigarette smuggling, after five years of investigations and allegations. This was reported by official sources. They also obtained other $ 500 millones (USD 541 thousand) for the Internal Revenue Service and prison sentences and fines for those involved.
El Regional Director of the Iquique Customs, Cristian Molina Silva, highlighted the coordinated work that allowed for the largest compensation in the recent history of processes linked to cigarette smuggling. “Our area has been especially affected by the phenomenon of smuggling and all the negative externalities that it brings. That is why this compensation is very important because it damages the assets of the gangs dedicated to these illicit activities.”
Meanwhile, Head of the Legal Department of the Iquique Customs, Mauricio Soudre TavernaHe added: "We also obtained a conviction for the crime of repeated smuggling, which also served as a basis for sentencing for money laundering and illicit association for smuggling".
The beginning of the case
The case dates back to 2017 when PDI officials generated residual information in a drug case and Customs and the High Complexity Prosecutor's Office of Alto Hospicio established a new line linked to cigarette smuggling through unauthorized crossings.
Following this, the Customs supervisory and legal teams, led by prosecutor Carlos González, carried out various investigative proceedings in the walled enclosure of Zona Franca and in other regions, to which they added official information collected in other countries.
“The historic compensation and conviction confirm the hypothesis of mutation of the crime, which in this case mixed different criminal organizations,” said Molina. In response, the official said: “We are very proud of the results and we will continue along this path of criminal prosecution.”
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