Atacama’s specialised anti-drug prosecutors formalised a Bolivian truck driver on 14 October 2026 for illicit drug trafficking after Carabineros found 1,749 kilograms of marijuana packed in 85 sacks inside a truck on Route 5 Norte south of Vallenar.[1][2] During a public hearing the court granted the Fiscalía’s request for preventive detention for seven months, finding his release would endanger public safety.[1]

Investigators said the driver abandoned the vehicle when he noticed police and was detained hours later near the scene.[1] Other cars had acted as “punta de lanza” scouts ahead of the lorry.[1] The truck carried a Starlink antenna, handheld radio and tracker that prosecutors said linked him to the group.[1]

Zone commander General Julio Marabolí told G5noticias that territorial police began the stop and OS7 Atacama took over under prosecutor orders, removing more than 1.7 tonnes from circulation.[2] Regional prosecutor Juan Andrés Shertzer said such loads pointed to organised trafficking that could supply domestic or export markets.[2]