|  ElCiudadano.cl |  Noticias

El Ciudadano

Original article: Funcionarios públicos y carabineros implicados: desarticulan red de pesca ilegal que movió casi $9 mil millones

A network dedicated to the illegal marketing of marine products that managed to move almost 9 billion pesos between 2023 and 2024 has been dismantled during a massive operation, which resulted in the arrest of 56 individuals by the Police of Investigations (PDI) and the Public Ministry. Among those arrested are three active-duty carabiners, a former Sernapesca official who only months ago had been pursuing illegal fishing, and an employee of the Municipality of Valdivia.

The operation spanned five regions, involving 61 entry and search operations, revealing a well-structured criminal association. Three organized groups operated from Calbuco (Los Lagos Region) to Valdivia, distributing illegal products to the Metropolitan Fishing Terminal, La Araucanía, and other southern areas.

The investigation, which began in 2024, unveiled a precise mechanism: they acquired hydrobiological resources without documentation or traceability, transported them overnight in personal vehicles, and circumvented controls using a network of informants and infiltrated officials, as reported by Bio Bío Chile.

Former Sernapesca Regional Director Arrested

The case has high institutional political implications with the arrest of Guillermo Quiroz, a marine biologist and former acting regional director of Sernapesca in Los Ríos, who was also a candidate for deputy for the PPD.

Suspended since June last year and dismissed in May, Quiroz has transitioned from being the face of inspections to being included on the list of defendants, as reported by El Mostrador.

According to the information available, his role was crucial in ensuring impunity and warning about operations from his former institution. He is joined by the three carabiners —whose identities have not yet been disclosed— and a municipal worker from Valdivia, all accused of facilitating the passage of trucks carrying illegal fish and diverting patrols.

However, the network did not just operate with internal protection. The PDI also discovered that within this criminal structure, five toll booth employees from Troncal La Unión allegedly alerted about inspections on the routes.

Once the merchandise arrived in Valdivia, it was laundered in public squares: the Municipal Market and the River Fair became the main sales points for products with no legal origin, displacing artisanal fishermen and compliant merchants.

Over $8.2 Billion in Undeclared Income

The financial aspect of the case, overseen by the Asset Laundering Investigative Brigade (Brilac) in Valdivia, revealed alarming figures. Between 2023 and 2024, the individuals under investigation reported earnings of over $8.811 billion but declared only $550 million to the Internal Revenue Service. The difference, exceeding $8.261 billion, corresponds to evaded income. With these illicit gains, the organization built a notable wealth: 29 vehicles valued at over $581 million, four properties worth around $395 million, and a gym in Valdivia valued at $100 million.

The judicial case includes charges of criminal association, money laundering, bribery, forgery of public instruments, public health offenses, and violations of the General Fisheries and Aquaculture Law.

The PDI warned that this illegal activity has become one of the most profitable for organized crime, due to its ability to infiltrate institutions and formal markets. The 56 detainees have been taken for detention control and will be formally charged in the coming hours, as part of a plot that promises to shake the foundations of fisheries enforcement in Chile.

La entrada Public Officials and Carabiners Involved: Major Crackdown on Illegal Fishing Syndicate That Moved Nearly $9 Billion se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.