Temucuicui: weapons and more than a thousand marijuana plants were seized in an operation in which the deputy inspector of the PDI was killed

At a press point in Temuco, the undersecretary of the Interior, Juan Francisco Galli, the general director of the Investigative Police, Héctor Espinosa, and the regional prosecutor of La Araucanía Cristian Paredes provided information on the operation carried out this Thursday within the Mapuche community of Temucuicui, in the commune of Ercilla.

“In Chile there are no territories in which the rule of law does not rule”, said Undersecretary Galli.

Due to a court order issued by the Collipulli Guarantee Court, detectives entered the community within the framework of an investigation led by the La Araucanía Prosecutor’s Office for crimes related to drug trafficking and cultivation, arms and ammunition trafficking, as well as investigations by homicide. During the operation, Sub-Inspector Luis Morales Balcazar, who belonged to the Iquique Tactical Reaction Team (ERTA), was killed in an ambush. Deputy Inspector Morales is the 56th martyr of the institution.

The police offensive in the area coincided with the hearing that took place in the Oral Criminal Court of Angol to read the verdict of the trial against Carabineros officials formalized for the homicide of community member Camilo Catrillanca, which occurred in 2018. Family members of the community member denounced who were prevented from going to court for the operation.

The prosecutor Paredes reported that during the diligence five homes were accessed, discovering more than a thousand marijuana plants and various weapons, including a Uzi submachine gun. Two people were arrested for drug trafficking and will go to control this Friday.

“There was organized resistance with high firepower,” said the prosecutor Paredes.

Paredes further emphasized that the coincidence with the verdict of the trial in the Catrillanca case “was absolutely accidental”, recalling that the hearing was originally scheduled for the end of last year.

Undersecretary Galli was consulted for the same and assured that “There are no proper days to comply with the law, every day court orders must be followed.”

For his part, the general director of the Investigative Police, Héctor Espinosa, pointed out that those responsible for the death of Deputy Inspector Morales are a criminal organization “with high firepower.”

Espinosa explained that about 800 officials participated in the operation. The police chief announced a posthumous promotion for the dejected official. As detailed there were 11 officials who were injured during the procedure.