Chile’s navy and the PDI, the investigative police, intercepted a boat on the high seas in a joint operation with the public prosecutor’s office and seized 4,272 kg of processed cripy cannabis, a high-potency Colombian strain[1]. The operation, dubbed Alta Mar, followed an investigation that had run since February 2019[1].
Record seizure
The cannabis was packed in 134 sacks holding 3,934 parcels and was valued by the authorities at 25 million dollars, a figure they said could double once the drug was portioned for sale[1]. PDI director general Héctor Espinosa said the shipment was meant to be distributed across the country[1][2]. Both outlets describe it as the largest drug seizure in Chile’s history at the time[1][2].
Six arrests
Six Colombian nationals were arrested on board the vessel, which had sailed from Colombia[2]. O’Higgins prosecutor Javier von Bischoffshausen said the authorities had tracked the trafficking ring for nine months[2]. The crew had bought a second boat to run the drugs closer to shore but failed to locate it, and naval air and sea units helped intercept the shipment[1].
The cannabis was carried on a Colombian fishing boat detected about 175 nautical miles off the coast of Caldera, with six Colombian nationals on board.[3] The PDI began working on the case in January 2019, using criminal intelligence analysis and coordination.[3] PDI director general Héctor Espinosa called Alta Mar “the largest police investigation in history” at a press briefing in Rancagua on 19 November 2019.[3] The navy used satellite tracking, maritime patrol aircraft and patrol boats carrying detectives, maritime police and its immediate response group to locate the vessel.[3]
