The operation was led by the Investigations Police (PDI).
Chile.- Last Friday, January 31, the Investigations Police of Chile (PDI) arrested 13 people in a raid against an illegal casino in La Cisterna. The action was coordinated with the South Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office and the national head of organized crime, as the network was linked to drug trafficking, possession of weapons, and money laundering.
In total, nine search and entry warrants were executed in homes across different communes of the Metropolitan Region. One of the focuses was a venue near Gran Avenida and Avenida Lo Ovalle, which operated as a casino despite being closed since 2024.
Prefect José Contreras, head of the Central Organized Crime Prefecture, confirmed that the operation is part of a joint investigation. "At the moment, we have around 13 people detained, linked to a criminal structure," he declared to the local media Bio Bio.
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During the raid, authorities found about 40 individuals at the site, leading to arrests for flagrante delicto, according to the Penal Code. Contreras specified that the orders focused on Law 20,000 (drugs) and alleged underlying crimes for money laundering.
In this regard, the prefect stated: "We conducted a thorough review to gather evidence linking the detainees to the crimes under investigation. Among the findings, elements were identified that connect the arrested individuals with the offenses."
Furthermore, the authorities warned about the resurgence of closed venues that reactivate illegal activities. The casino in La Cisterna continued operations despite the ongoing closure.
The detainees will be made available to the Public Ministry for their subsequent detention control and formalization.
At the beginning of January, the municipal Public Security team and Carabineros de Chile conducted an operation where they inspected more than a dozen gaming rooms, a procedure that ended with the closure of ten of these venues at various points in the civic center of San Fernando.
This situation occurred after a previous inspection in October, which showed that these venues did not have a commercial license from the municipality to operate such a business, leading to their closure by municipal decree.
The communal chief called on parliamentarians and the government to expedite the processing of the law that gives more powers to municipal public security teams. "It is very necessary that this legal change is made as it will allow us to carry out more inspections and controls, in order to improve the safety of our residents," highlighted Pablo Silva Pérez.
Meanwhile, in another region of Chile, the mayor of Coquimbo, Ali Manouchehri, accompanied by deputy Daniel Manouchehri, met with representatives of the Superintendency of Casino Games to request greater supervision of venues with slot machines in the city center. The officials emphasized the need to take greater measures to eradicate establishments operating illegally.
During the meeting, joint measures with the Superintendency, Public Security, and other institutions were agreed upon to strengthen controls to identify establishments that do not comply with the corresponding authorizations. The communal chief highlighted the need to recover public spaces and dismantle establishments operating illegally in the area.
