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Chile Seizes More Than 100 Tons of Drugs Hidden in Bolivian Wood Shipments

A six-month interagency probe using new detection technology uncovered a chemical impregnation method and prompted a parallel money‑laundering case tied to the Tren de Aragua cartel.

Overview

  • Authorities announced Monday that inspections at Arica, Valparaíso and San Antonio uncovered more than 100 tonnes of cocaine and ketamine concealed inside pressed and sawn wood.
  • Investigators identified roughly 45–49 contaminated consignments totaling about 1,080–1,169 tonnes of wood, with lab tests showing drugs made up about 10–20% of the wood by weight.
  • Officials say the wood came from Bolivia and was bound for multiple overseas markets, and they estimate the seized drugs represented about 584 million doses and more than $8.3 billion in potential European sales.
  • No arrests tied to the port seizures have been reported so far, prosecutors continue forensic inspections of remaining containers, and financial investigators have brought 17 formal charges in Operación Tokio.
  • The operation grew from a port‑security focus created in 2024 that combined Customs, the Fiscalía, the Maritime Police and Navy using profiling and new detection tools to target sophisticated concealment methods.