Human traffickers were bringing illegal immigrants from Haiti into Chile. In the process of smuggling in the immigrants, the traffickers attempted to pay border officials $400 per immigrants in bribes. The border patrol officials instead started an undercover operations to break up the ring.
Court documents state that the traffickers were selling immigrants in Chile for $1,000.
Source: Charlotte Karrlsson-Willis, “Chilean authorities thwart human trafficking operation,” Santiago Times, February 22, 2013.
In 2011, around 2,400 people from foreign countries were arrested for crimes in Chile. 70 percent of those arrested were for drug smuggling activities.
48 percent of the drug arrests were of people from Bolivia, 34 percent from Peru, and 8 percent of the foreign nationals were from Argentina.
In 2011, up to 5 percent of the jail population in Chile were of foreign nationals.
Source: Struan Campbell Gray, “Drug trafficking is the main crime of foreign nationals in Chile,” Santiago Times, February 13, 2012.
In 2010, police in Chile seized 69,866 counterfeit goods items valued at $427,670. Among the counterfeit goods seized were counterfeit cigarettes, clothing and auto parts.
Between 2008 and 2010, police arrested over 12,500 people for selling counterfeit goods.
Source: Kendra Ablaza, “Authorities Warn Of False Branding Of Chilean Consumer Goods,” Santiago Times, May 15, 2011.
