Codelco reported on Tuesday, October 20, that the investigation behind the operation by the Investigative Police (PDI) and the O'Higgins Regional Prosecutor's Office covers 36 complaints of robbery and theft filed since March. The incidents affected the El Teniente Division and partner companies working at its facilities, according to Emol.
The deployment, called Operation Veta Roja, mobilized more than 300 detectives in Rancagua, Machalí, Coya and Mostazal. According to La Nación, it included raids (court-authorized property searches) at some Codelco premises.
The number of people arrested differs by source. The O'Higgins PDI posted on X that more than 40 people had been arrested and that, together with the region's Criminal Analysis Prosecutor's Office, it had dismantled a network linked to copper theft and receiving stolen copper. An initial tally reported by Emol put the number of arrests at 59.
According to Chilevisión, the copper was stolen from electricity companies' wiring and also directly from Codelco, to be sold illegally in the region.
In a public statement, the state-owned company said preliminary information indicated that employees of El Teniente contractors may be among those arrested. It added that two of them were apprehended inside the facilities while performing their duties.
Emol reported that those arrested included a Codelco employee and two contractors who allegedly helped move the metal out of the mine. The same outlet said the gang's leader was allegedly a former police officer, a detail that has not been officially confirmed.
Codelco said it was up to the authorities to report the scope of the operation and any potential responsibility. The company said it was a victim of these crimes and announced that it would pursue all appropriate legal action.
For now, those arrested remain in custody and have not been formally charged. Formal charging takes place at a hearing in which prosecutors inform a pretrial judge of the crimes under investigation. According to El Rancagüino, the Public Prosecutor's Office will seek to bring formal charges over at least 30 incidents involving theft of public-use property, receiving stolen goods and money laundering. The sources do not report the hearing date or the court.
