A major seizure of illicit substances occurred early Monday morning at the El Loa Customs checkpoint. In less than an hour, officials from the Iquique Customs Drug Enforcement Unit seized 266.5 kilograms of marijuana, divided into two shipments, which were detected during preventative patrols around the border control perimeter.
The first operation took place at 3:01 a.m. when inspectors were conducting an inspection at the rear of the outpost’s warehouse, specifically in the area designated for the safekeeping of vehicles seized under the Drug Law (Law 20,000). There, they spotted eight large sacks abandoned on the ground and, upon inspection, confirmed that they contained a large quantity of marijuana packages.
To secure the perimeter and move the packages, other operational teams were activated and inspectors from the scanner truck were added, who collected the evidence and counted a total of 209 rectangular packages that contained a total of 215 kilos of marijuana.
While the first seizure was being processed, the alert was raised again at 03:55 hours when another group of inspectors spotted the flash of a flashlight in the darkness, right behind the restaurant located in front of the same El Loa Customs Outpost.
Approaching the location stealthily, officers caught a man red-handed guarding two large packages, which also contained marijuana. The man was identified as a 35-year-old Colombian citizen with the initials KFCC, who was immediately taken, along with the packages, to customs offices.
The man stated that his task was only to guard the sacks until they were picked up by third parties, whose identities he claimed to be unaware of. Upon opening these two new packages, 50 bundles were discovered which, as in the first case, tested positive for marijuana using the NARK II test and weighed 51.55 kilograms.
The Regional Director of Customs in Iquique, Ricardo Aceituno, stated that a total of 259 packages containing 266.55 kilograms of cannabis sativa were seized. “Route A-1 has restrictions on truck and bus traffic due to the mudslides last month; however, this does not imply a decrease in our inspection capacity, and our teams remain active and operational. In this case, an attempt was made to use drug mules on foot or other methods, a plan that failed due to the constant vigilance of our work teams.”
PDI INVESTIGATES POSSIBLE CONNECTION BETWEEN BOTH FINDINGS
After confirming the weight and type of drug, the Public Prosecutor’s Office was immediately notified, from where the Investigations Police (PDI) were assigned to the transfer and custody of the drug and the accused.
Subprefect Carlos Flores, deputy chief of the Iquique Anti-Narcotics Brigade, indicated that “within the framework of the coordinated work that is carried out permanently with the National Customs Service, the seizure of this important quantity of drugs, more than 260 kilos of Cannabis, was achieved, in addition to the arrest of the accused of Colombian nationality.
In this context, detectives from this Brigade continue to investigate to determine if both procedures are related to each other, and if the detainee is the owner of or related to the seized shipments.”