This weekend, Customs and the Army carried out a new operation in one of Chile's border areas: Colchane.
Three Bolivian trucks, 171 bales, 170 rifles and 60 compressed air pistols were added to the seizures of the integrated border system that operates in the commune of Colchane (Tarapacá Region) to combat smuggling and bring security to the community.
The operation focused on Pisiga Shock and Pisiga Carp, border crossing between the Republic of Chile and the Plurinational State of Bolivia. In the first town, the inspection teams intercepted Three Nissan trucks of Bolivian origin and who entered Chile illegally in search of contraband goods. At the same place, 171 bales of used clothing were intercepted.
Later and among the Pisiga Choque properties were found boxes and packages that concealed a total of 170 rifles and 60 5.5 caliber compressed air pistols for a value of more than $52 million pesos.
El Regional Director (s) of the Iquique Customs, Ricardo Aceituno, indicated that in virtue of strategic planning and multi-agency work to confront the phenomenon of smuggling, "we continue to deploy teams in the border area of Colchane with the support of personnel from the Tarapacá Region Force Headquarters."
Aceituno added that to date the joint actions have allowed the seizure of 9 trucks (4 of them Bolivian), 306 5,5 caliber compressed air rifles, 60 5,5 caliber compressed air pistols, 1.245 bales of used clothing, 50 awnings, 600 solid hard drives, 564 down jackets, 16 HP computers and 15 Iphone 13 cell phones. “We have seized merchandise worth around half a million dollars and in the case of the compressed air rifles, samples were sent to Labocar of Carabineros and we opened other investigation instances that are in full development,” he concluded.
La Provincial Presidential Delegate of Tamarugal, Luz González Millas, highlighted the presence of the Army and the Customs Control Service in this operation, stating that "once again it resulted in the confiscation of a large quantity of weapons, so the presence of the Army in the border area is positive, not only because of irregular migration, but also to combat organized crime gangs, detecting the leaders and actions of these criminal cells."
El Commander of the Tarapacá Region Forces Headquarters, Brigadier General Ramón Oyarzún Gatica, commented that “we continue to work together with the police and Customs within the framework of the powers granted to us by Supreme Decree No. 78 and this is another example of what has been achieved with the joint work we have been carrying out. For the good of our country and our people, we will continue to make our human and material resources available to continue fulfilling the mission entrusted to us, always based on legal regulations.”
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