Chilean Police Bust Massive Copper Smuggling Ring, 29.8 Billion Pesos Worth of Copper Destined for China
Chilean police have dismantled a large-scale copper theft and smuggling operation, arresting 25 individuals involved in illicitly exporting copper to China and fraudulently claiming over $55 million in VAT refunds. The criminal group used trucks to ram utility poles to steal copper cables.
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- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 11:54
- 🔍 Collected: April 9, 2026 at 13:00 (1h 6m after Published)
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According to a report by the South China Morning Post, authorities stated that the criminal group transported stolen copper by truck to the port city of Iquique in northern Chile, then shipped it to China in containers disguised as waste. Over the years, they also exploited Chile's legitimate trade system to fraudulently claim over $55 million (approximately NT$1.8 billion) in export value-added tax (VAT) refunds.
The cross-regional operation, named "Operation High Voltage," spanned seven regions nationwide, leading to the arrest of 25 people, the search of 49 properties, and the seizure of 187 metric tons of copper, 40 vehicles, and 11 firearms.
Authorities estimate that the seized copper is worth approximately $2.2 million (approximately NT$70 million) at current market value, but this is only the tip of the iceberg of the total amount smuggled by this illicit group over five years.
Rodrigo Gonzalez, head of the Criminal Analysis Unit at the Arica Prosecutor's Office in northern Chile and an investigator of northern border cases, told Bloomberg earlier today that the illicit group had a clear division of labor: specialized teams were responsible for stealing cables, middlemen handled the processing and storage of metals, and the transport team was responsible for cross-border transshipment.
He said, "This is a highly profitable business; a mere few tens of meters of cable are worth millions of pesos."
The criminal group's method of stealing copper was simple and brutal: they would directly ram utility poles with trucks, pulling down entire rows of cables within minutes. Personnel would then strip the copper and load it onto vehicles, quickly withdrawing before authorities arrived.
Gonzalez stated that the loss from a single incident could be as high as 60 million Chilean pesos (approximately NT$2 million), and related attacks also caused large-scale power outages in multiple communities.
Police have not yet disclosed the identity of the Chinese buyers, and the Chinese Embassy in Chile has not yet commented on the case. (Compiled by: Chang Ming-hsuan) 1150409
The cross-regional operation, named "Operation High Voltage," spanned seven regions nationwide, leading to the arrest of 25 people, the search of 49 properties, and the seizure of 187 metric tons of copper, 40 vehicles, and 11 firearms.
Authorities estimate that the seized copper is worth approximately $2.2 million (approximately NT$70 million) at current market value, but this is only the tip of the iceberg of the total amount smuggled by this illicit group over five years.
Rodrigo Gonzalez, head of the Criminal Analysis Unit at the Arica Prosecutor's Office in northern Chile and an investigator of northern border cases, told Bloomberg earlier today that the illicit group had a clear division of labor: specialized teams were responsible for stealing cables, middlemen handled the processing and storage of metals, and the transport team was responsible for cross-border transshipment.
He said, "This is a highly profitable business; a mere few tens of meters of cable are worth millions of pesos."
The criminal group's method of stealing copper was simple and brutal: they would directly ram utility poles with trucks, pulling down entire rows of cables within minutes. Personnel would then strip the copper and load it onto vehicles, quickly withdrawing before authorities arrived.
Gonzalez stated that the loss from a single incident could be as high as 60 million Chilean pesos (approximately NT$2 million), and related attacks also caused large-scale power outages in multiple communities.
Police have not yet disclosed the identity of the Chinese buyers, and the Chinese Embassy in Chile has not yet commented on the case. (Compiled by: Chang Ming-hsuan) 1150409