Three Colombian stylists were intercepted by inspectors from the Chilean National Customs Service when they were trying to enter the country with more than $71 million (US$ 105.000) worth of synthetic drugs. The operation took place at the Chungará border complex, east of Arica (north). This is the largest operation recorded at this checkpoint located 4.678 meters above sea level.
Pants soaked in narcotics
The Regional Director of the Arica Customs, Osvaldo Osorio Iglesias, highlighted that it is one of the largest discoveries of Ecstasy in the Arica Region. and Parinacota after the one registered in 2016 in Chacalluta when Customs intercepted 6 motorcyclists with 12 thousand Ecstasy pills. “In this case, there were three tourists who hid a total of 4.790 pills of the synthetic drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine or Ecstasy in their trousers. They were all travelling on a bus bound for Iquique and their journey began in Cali, Colombia, and then went through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Their intention was to enter Chile through Chungará and continue on to Santiago.".
The stylists involved were carrying the following quantities of the merchandise: 1) 1.587 Ecstasy pills, 2) 1.807 doses and 3) 1.396 units of drugs. Their arrest was carried out in Courtroom No. 1 of the Guarantee Court and prosecutor Daniel Valenzuela Castillo charged them with drug trafficking. Judge Paulina Zúñiga Lira declared the arrest legal and decided to leave them in preventive detention.
Osvaldo Osorio explained that the detection is a response to the series of controls on passengers and cargo carried out by Customs officials to prevent entry into the country. of all kinds of smuggling. “The inspection work considers risk profiles, non-invasive technology, detector dogs and constant training to deal with the different concealment methods and routes used by smugglers and drug traffickers.", explained the director of Customs of Arica.
Seizures on the rise?
In 2018, Customs seized a total of 343.396 doses of MDMA, LSD and various derivatives in Chile, which represented an increase of 150% compared to 2017Meanwhile, from January to April 2019, the figure reached 101.686 units, which represents an increase of 328% compared to the same period in 2018.
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