Following a two-year investigation, Chile’s investigative police and the nation’s Public Prosecutor's Office have carried out a sting operation across the regions of Los Lagos and Los Ríos to dismantle a crime network engaged in the theft of both wild-caught and farmed salmon.
The operation included raids on 58 houses, the arrests of 54 people, more than CLP 100 million (USD 109,400, EUR 94,600) in confiscated cash, and the seizure of 12 metric tons (MT) of illicitly obtained salmon, the country’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) reported.
Three organized groups are accused of illegally obtaining about CLP 9 billion (USD 9.8 million, EUR 8.5 million) worth of hydrobiological resources, including wild-caught fish and farmed salmon, between 2023 and 2024, local publication El Mostrador reported. The wrongdoings investigated include criminal association, money laundering, bribery, falsification of public documents, crimes against public health, and violations of Chile’s Fisheries Law.
A former Sernapesca official identified as Guillermo Quiroz was among those arrested. Quiroz, a marine biologist by profession, has worked as a representative of the Ministry of Economy, Development, and Tourism; ran for Chilean Congress; and, up until a few months ago, was the regional director of Sernapesca for the Los Lagos region.
At Sernapesca, he supervised controls, warned about the consequences of illegal fishing, and promoted the traceability of seafood products.
During one of his last public appearances while working at the organization, together with other Sernapesca officials, Quiroz held a meeting with fishmongers at the Valdivia outdoor market in order to review special controls. He reinforced the importance of selling products with authorized origin, ensuring that the fish and seafood complied with regulatory sanitary and fishing requirements.
Sernapesca responded to the news of Quiroz’s arrest by saying a controlling agency compromised by illicit associations and organized crime represented a serious concern.
“For this reason, Sernapesca has strengthened its integrity system with the aim of preventing, detecting, and punishing official crimes, advancing in the sustainable management of fishing resources with the work carried out every day by 1,200 officials committed to probity, respect, and excellence – core values of our institution,” it said.
According to other local press reports, at least two active police officers were also arrested, along with Pablo Sánchez, the current head of press for the mayor of Valdivia, which is the capital city of the Los Lagos region.
According to the information gathered and now presented by the Prosecutor's Office, the criminal network illegally acquired salmon in and around Calbuco and then transferred them during the early morning to Los Ríos.
The investigation also detected the participation of five workers at the Troncal La Unión concessioned highway, who tipped the thieves off regarding police monitoring along the routes used by the criminal organization, helping them evade controls and inspections.
These resources were then transferred to be laundered in different distribution and sales centers in Los Ríos and then to supply markets throughout Chile, including in the regions of Araucanía, Biobío, Ñuble, and the Metropolitan regions.
The investigation was initially launched by the investigative police and Sernapesca in April 2024, working with the Navy and the national police force, Carabineros, to cross-check information on patterns of transport and illicit sale of overexploited resources that lacked accreditation of legal origin, which included a series of on-site inspections.
Sernapesca reported it continued to supervise activities in parallel to the investigation led by the investigative police, seizing nearly 28.6 MT of southern hake and 8.72 MT of conger eel from the beginning of 2025 through May 2026. It also oversaw the seizure of 20 means of transport, representing an installed logistics capacity of 62 MT of cargo per trip, which provides insight into the volume and economic power of the clandestine organization.
According to local publication De Todo Valdivia, seizures also included four properties valued at around CLP 395 million (USD 431,800, EUR 373,600) and a gym in Valdivia valued at approximately CLP 100 million (USD 109,300, EUR 94,600).
Sernapesca National Director Soledad Tapia celebrated the win the investigation represented in the fight against organized crime around illegal fishing.
“We must remember that illegal fishing harms authorized fishermen and generates unfair competition against those who operate in accordance with the regulations,” she said. “There are also tax crimes and impairment of the sustainability of resources, and this entails a risk to people's health since the conditions in which resources of illegal origin are handled and transported cannot be verified.”
