Chilean Chief Prosecutor Ángel Valencia reckoned Thursday that authorities in his country were grappling against transnational crime networks engaging in activities like drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, and sexual exploitation, which marks a significant shift from previous criminal activity and poses new challenges.
We have to adapt our procedures, he pointed out. We realize that the institutions were not prepared to deal with recent occurrences, so that this will not happen to us again.
Valencia acknowledged that while Chilean citizens have adapted their routines to this new reality, many state institutions have been slow to react and adapt their procedures. He cited the recent escape of a hitman linked to a murder who easily crossed the northern border into Peru as an example of lax immigration controls.
The prosecutor highlighted that Latin America has effectively become a de facto Schengen area for criminals, allowing them to move freely across borders, similar to the passport-free travel within the European Union.
He also noted that Chile's traditional geographical barriers (deserts, mountains, ocean) are no longer sufficient to secure its borders, creating vulnerabilities similar to those between countries like Brazil and Uruguay or in the Amazon region.
In addition, he mentioned during a radio interview that the entire institutional framework needed to be reviewed and adapted to this new criminal phenomenon and pointed to recent cases linking military personnel to drug trafficking networks as evidence that institutions were unprepared.
While acknowledging internal improvements within the Public Prosecutor's Office, Valencia stressed that other state institutions have not adjusted their work processes with the necessary intensity. He warned that until more effective immigration control is implemented at the northern border, individuals with arrest warrants will continue to leave Chile, and those with unknown identities and potential criminal records will continue to enter.
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