Tuesday, June 9, 2026- Chilean authorities have announced a massive and record-breaking drug bust after intercepting more than 100 tons of illegal narcotics hidden inside timber shipments bound for Europe.
Officials said that over the course of a six-month investigation, customs, maritime police and prosecutors discovered 1,080.8 tons of wood impregnated with cocaine, ketamine and other substances, representing an illicit haul of approximately 100 tons of drugs, the largest ever seized in Chile’s history.
The operation targeted 45 containers arriving from Bolivia at major Chilean ports including Arica, Valparaíso and San Antonio.
Authorities described the concealment technique as sophisticated, involving chemical impregnation of the lumber that required specialized laboratory processes to extract the narcotics, a method designed to evade conventional inspections.
The seized drugs, mostly cocaine hydrochloride and ketamine, had an estimated retail value of about $8.3 billion on the European market, experts said.
Government officials termed the bust a historic blow to organized crime, underlining the evolving complexity of trafficking networks using legitimate export goods as cover.
They also warned that more suspicious containers remain under investigation and that ongoing enhancements to port inspections are underway to prevent similar smuggling attempts. Chile’s strategic role as a transit and export hub has drawn increased focus in international anti-narcotics cooperation.
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