A truck driver with more than $462 million pesos (US$ 593 thousand dollars) worth of high-purity cocaine hidden in his bunk was intercepted in an operation carried out by the Chilean National Customs Service at the Quillagua outpost (Antofagasta Region).
According to customs sources, the carrier loaded vegetables in Arica (north) and was due to arrive in Talca (center).
The detection was recorded during the controls carried out by customs officers based on profiles and risk analysis, and they found a bag with 22 packages attached in the driver's cabin, which contained a total of 23 kilos 120 grams of high-purity cocaine hydrochloride.
Official information states that “when he saw that he was surprised, the driver drove into a ravine to try to avoid his responsibility.” It clarifies that “a few minutes later, the truck driver returned because he had no way out and said that he was carrying the drugs in exchange for money to cover the costs of his parents’ illnesses.”
Prosecutor Javier Gutiérrez formalized the truck driver's arrest for drug trafficking and magistrate Horacio Andrade declared the arrest legal and set a 120-day period for the investigation, a period during which the accused must remain in the Alto Hospicio Penitentiary Center.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
