PDI strikes at the heart of Temucuicui and arrests Jorge Huenchullán after extracting him by helicopter

A large-scale police operation took place during the early hours of this Tuesday inside the autonomous community of Temucuicui, in the commune of Ercilla, where personnel from the Investigative Police, with support from Carabineros and the Army, carried out the arrest of Mapuche community member Jorge Huenchullán Cayul.

This is the so-called "Operation Trident," involving the participation of the three aforementioned institutions.

According to information gathered by Radio Bío Bío, the procedure designed and led by the civilian police began around 2:00 AM this Tuesday. It targeted Huenchullán's home, located inside the indigenous community.

The accused had two active arrest warrants issued by the Victoria Guarantee Court. The first was for the crimes of illicit drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms, and illegal possession of ammunition. The second corresponded to a pending warrant for the crime of non-violent usurpation, a case dating back to 2019.

Also arrested at the same property was Carolina Padilla Manquel, the community member's partner. She had a pending arrest warrant for the crime of small-scale drug trafficking.

Extracted by helicopter

According to preliminary information, both detainees were extracted from Temucuicui using an Army helicopter. They were subsequently transferred to the city of Victoria.

During the operation, gunshots were heard in the area. However, the police units managed to leave the community around 2:50 AM without reporting any injured officers.

The operation took place in one of the most complex areas of the conflict in the Southern Macrozone, where police entries have historically been marked by high levels of tension and armed confrontations.

Who is Jorge Huenchullán

In 2002, at the height of the Coordinadora Arauco Malleco (CAM), the community of Temucuicui split in two. On one side, the traditional or ancestral community, led by the Queipul family; on the other, the so-called autonomous community of Temucuicui, headed by the Huenchullán family.

Since then, both structures have coexisted in the same territory, marked by permanent tensions. There have even been limited confrontations between their members, in a small geographical enclave: a valley located west of the urban area of Ercilla, a short distance from Route 5 South.

In that space, both the traditional and autonomous communities have been subject to investigations for various crimes, including arson attacks, drug trafficking, robberies with violence, and timber theft. According to ongoing investigations, these acts do not involve all their members, but rather specific groups within both communities. This background is part of the context that led to the police operation carried out during the early morning.

In this scenario, Jorge Huenchullán Cayul has consolidated over the last decade as one of the most visible faces of the autonomous community of Temucuicui. His name has been repeatedly linked to episodes of high tension with different governments, police procedures, and judicial cases, in a territory crossed by historical land claims and the presence of forestry companies.

He is described as an active and hardline leader within his community. He has the support of a significant portion of its members and is seen as a reference by other mobilized Mapuche communities in the province of Malleco.

His leadership is mainly expressed in territorial demands. He has systematically acted as a spokesperson in dialogue instances with forestry companies and owners of disputed properties, serving as an interlocutor in complex negotiations, often without results.

In parallel to his leadership role, Huenchullán has been under the attention of the police and the Public Prosecutor's Office. Intelligence reports link him to the cultivation of cannabis in greenhouses installed at his home, along with an alleged marketing scheme both within Temucuicui and in nearby communes, such as Ercilla and Victoria. These accusations are part of ongoing investigations.

Source:BiobioChile