Chile police dismantle migrant trafficking and Chinese crime rings
Chile's Police Investigations (PDI) carried out a series of operations that broke up several organized‑crime networks. In the metropolitan area, raids in the Santiago communes of Santiago, Pedro Aguirre Cerda and Lo Espejo exposed a migrant‑trafficking organization run by two Haitian nationals. The group used tourism agencies to move minors from Haiti through the Dominican Republic and onward to Chile. Authorities seized mobile phones, cash, documents, equipment and vehicles, and the two Haitians were placed in pre‑trial detention.
In a separate sweep dubbed "Muralla Oriental II," police and prosecutors targeted a Chinese‑origin criminal group known as the "Hong Men" mafia. The operation led to 35 arrests – 31 of them foreign nationals, including two Chinese citizens facing expulsion – and the seizure of assets valued at roughly 1.8 billion Chilean pesos. Investigators uncovered illegal casinos, cash‑holding houses and a hawala money‑laundering scheme that funneled proceeds to the People’s Republic of China.
International cooperation also resulted in high‑profile arrests. A Chilean wanted for a 2022 kidnapping was located in Argentina, apprehended after a Red Notice from Interpol, and extradited via the Pino Hachado border crossing. Additionally, a 31‑year‑old Venezuelan member and leader of the transnational "Tren del Coro" gang – wanted in Chile for femicide, double homicide and other violent crimes – was captured in Medellín, Colombia, after fingerprint matching between Interpol Santiago and Interpol Bogotá. Chilean authorities are now seeking his extradition.