A large-scale police operation in the province of Arauco led to the arrest of four alleged members of the Mapuche Lafkenche Resistance (RML), an organization that authorities hold responsible for various acts of rural violence in the Biobío region over recent years.
The operation, led by the Investigative Police (PDI) alongside the Public Prosecutor's Office and supported by Navy personnel, was carried out early in the morning in different sectors of the Cañete commune. Approximately 150 specialized officers participated in the procedure.
The detainees were identified as Alexis Llanquileo Mariñan, Eduardo Donoso Tromelao, César Millanao Huenul, and Diego Lincopan Nahuelan, who will be formally charged for their alleged involvement in crimes of homicide, repeated arson, and robbery with violence.
Investigation lasted nearly six years
The case originates from a violent attack that occurred on September 8, 2020, in the Laguna Lloncao sector, where an armed group broke into several rural homes. According to evidence gathered by the Prosecutor's Office and the PDI, the attackers intimidated residents, forcing them to abandon their homes before setting the buildings on fire.
After the attack, those responsible stole vehicles and various items to facilitate their escape. However, during their flight, they encountered a car traveling along an interior road in the area.
According to the investigation, the occupants were forced to get out, and subsequently, the attackers fired shots at the vehicle. As a result, Moisés Orellana Pavez, a 21-year-old young man, died after sustaining ballistic impacts that caused his death.
The stolen vehicles were later set on fire at another location in the province, closing a chain of events that the Prosecutor's Office described as one of the most serious incidents recorded in the area during that period.
One detainee linked to another arson attack
The investigation also established connections between one of the accused and another attack that occurred in February 2022 in the Los Ríos sector, in the Los Álamos commune.
In that incident, an armed group set fire to about twenty pieces of machinery and work vehicles. Additionally, one of the workers present was injured by bullet impacts to one of his legs.
The regional prosecutor of Biobío, Marcela Cartagena, explained that the scientific-technical work carried out by the PDI was key to identifying one of the participants.
According to her details, the analysis of images and evidence allowed the identification of a hooded individual who was getting out of a vehicle carrying a firearm to intimidate a truck driver during the attack. That identification ultimately led to one of the arrests made this week.
Organization under investigation
Although the Prosecutor's Office avoided labeling any of those arrested as the leader of the organization, it stated that there is evidence linking them to the operational structure of the Mapuche Lafkenche Resistance, a group that has claimed responsibility for various arson attacks in the province of Arauco in recent years.
Authorities recalled that the investigation into the Laguna Lloncao attack had previously led to the conviction of 12 other individuals involved, who received sentences totaling up to 28 years in prison for crimes of repeated arson and robbery with intimidation.
The four detainees were placed at the disposal of the Cañete Guarantee Court, where they will face detention control and formal charges for the crimes they are accused of. The Prosecutor's Office will request precautionary measures while the investigation continues.
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