Police Investigations (PDI) detained Francisco Kaminski at his Las Condes home on Monday for possessing marijuana, amid a money laundering probe against Cincar automotora, owned by David Israel. Kaminski, a person of interest due to his ties to the company, was released after stating the drugs were for personal use and that he only bought a car there. The 'Rey David' operation involved raids and the arrest of 18 defendants.
PDI raided Francisco Kaminski's Las Condes home on the morning of April 28, finding over three grams of marijuana and anxiolytics. The TV host was detained but released hours later, warned for personal use, as he recounted: “I was detained, they put me in a cell and told me ‘you can go’”.
The arrest coincided with over 20 raids in Metropolitan, Valparaíso, and O'Higgins regions, part of the 'Rey David' money laundering operation led by Fiscalía Metropolitana Sur. Cincar, in Puente Alto and owned by David Israel—known as 'El Rey David'—was searched. Forty-three vehicles were seized, and 18 defendants detained, with reserved formalization set for April 29 at 10:00 a.m.
Kaminski is a person of interest due to alleged ties to Cincar, which buys crashed or total-loss cars, repairs them, and sells at low prices, such as a 2021 Mercedes Benz C200 recovered from theft for $23.99 million. He denies deep links: “I only bought one car from him, but many friends have bought cars there”. Sources point to possible commissions from cash-paying clients.
Carlos Larravide, general manager of Automóvil Club de Chile, calls the business legitimate but risky: “The main risk is the lack of real traceability of the vehicle [...] a total-loss car not rebuilt to proper technical standards may not respond in a new road incident”. He warns of insurance issues and hidden structural flaws.
