Mexican cartels trying to settle in Chile, reports Prosecutor General’s Office

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Well-known Mexican drug cartels are attempting to establish themselves in Chile and start the local production of illicit substances in the country, according to a report released Wednesday by the Chilean Prosecutor General’s Office.

The presence of these international criminal organizations is one of the main findings of the sixth edition of the Observatory of Drug Trafficking in Chile 2021, which collects information on this phenomenon from seven police and border and customs control institutions.

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“Chile is no longer a drug transit country. In fact, widely known cartels from Mexico are trying to settle in Chile. We have to admit that we have begun the path of those territories that host local production of illicit substances and the installation of cartels within their borders,” said Chilean national prosecutor Jorge Abbott during the presentation of the report.

“We must put a stop to this now. We cannot allow it to continue to deepen, nor allow these groups to take root in our country,” he added.

The document also reveals that cartels such as the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation have attempted to penetrate the Chilean market through six frustrated drug movements through the Port of San Antonio, with more than six tons of Mexican marijuana.

It also reported on a phenomenon observed in Chilean prisons known as the “domination system”, led by drug trafficking organizations within the prisons, which has led to an unprecedented increase of 75% in intra-prison homicides in the last four years.

The findings also confirm trends observed in previous years, such as an increase in the seizure of processed marijuana and a drop in cocaine and cocaine base paste seizures.

The report also reports a 29% increase in the seizure of marijuana plantations throughout the country, an increase in indoor cultivation, and the discovery of a greater number of laboratories to produce synthetic drugs.

Regarding synthetic drugs, the Observatory warned as a new threat the massive sale of a dangerous fake 2CB or “tucibí”, a substance derived from Ketamine, which has become the synthetic drug with the largest seizure in Chile, increasing from 15 kilos in 2017 to 133 kilos in 2020.

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