The Tarapacá Regional Comptroller identified multiple flaws in the control and infrastructure at the Colchane Border Crossing, including insufficient staff and inoperative equipment. The inspection, started in September, revealed risks to border security. The agency issued corrective orders to several institutions.
The Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) conducted an inspection at the Colchane Border Crossing in the Tarapacá Region to assess operational conditions, infrastructure, and technological systems for controlling people, goods, currencies, and illicit substances. The audit began in late September 2025, with an on-site visit led by Comptroller General Dorothy Pérez, accompanied by Regional Comptroller Paula Vera, Head of the Audit Division Ricardo Provoste, and regional auditors. The aim was to review the Secure Border Plan, military deployment, and border complex administration.
Final Report No. 669/2025 identified weaknesses compromising security. These include the lack of specialized units: neither the Investigations Police (PDI) nor the National Customs Service have equipment to combat drug trafficking offenses under Law No. 20,000. Additionally, there is insufficient staffing, with fewer PDI International Police officers than required and limited Carabineros presence.
Irregular passage of people was confirmed via the “Ancestral Pass” between Pisiga (Bolivia) and Colchane (Chile), along with deterioration of the border fence. Key equipment is inoperative: the PDI Body Scan, an X-ray machine, and the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) incinerator, with no efforts for replacement. The sole Customs scanner truck inspects an average of 16 trucks daily, without a registry of selection criteria.
In response, the CGR ordered the PDI to certify the Body Scan's operability and ensure permanent presence of the Antinarcotics Brigade. Customs must increase inspection frequency and optimize scanner use. The SAG shall guarantee the incinerator's operation and improve processes. Finally, the Presidential Delegation will coordinate equipment replacement and reinforce critical infrastructure.
