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Illegal Logging Operation Dismantled in La Unión

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A police operation in the Los Ríos region resulted in the arrest of three individuals involved in the clandestine logging and theft of pine wood.

In a successful procedure, detectives from the Valdivia Criminal Investigation Brigade detained three people during an illegal logging operation on a property in the commune of La Unión. The individuals, caught in the act of cutting and removing pine wood, lacked the required documentation to prove the legality of their actions.

The operation was triggered by a report of wood theft, prompting the rapid mobilization of personnel specialized in this type of crime. Upon arriving at the Renacer 3 sector, officers found the individuals, each fulfilling specific roles in the illegal operation: a supervisor, a driver, and a chainsaw operator.

The police intervention led to the arrest of the three men and the seizure of several vehicles and tools used to commit the crime. Among the confiscated materials were two trucks—one equipped with a self-loading crane—two chainsaws, a tractor, a front loader, a skidder, and a pickup truck with a trailer. Additionally, the already felled wood was recovered, some of which had been loaded onto one of the trucks.

The detainees, all Chilean adults with no criminal records, were placed at the disposal of the La Unión Guarantee Court for further investigation, following the prosecution's guidelines. The chainsaws were handed over to the Public Prosecutor's Office, while the recovered wood was returned to the affected owners. The vehicles were temporarily held under the custody of their owners as provisional deposits.

This incident highlights the importance of surveillance and control in forest resource exploitation, as well as the effectiveness of security forces in protecting natural heritage and private property.