A report from Universidad Andrés Bello shows police cases tied to illegal commerce grew 15 percent between 2020 and 2025, with sharp rises in regions such as Antofagasta and Valparaíso.
The study by the Observatorio del Crimen Organizado y Terrorismo indicates the rise is concentrated in strategic areas. Antofagasta recorded a 345 percent increase, Atacama 294 percent and Valparaíso 732 percent over the same period. The ten communes with the most cases in 2025 account for nearly 60 percent of the national total. The report notes a 78 percent correlation between illegal commerce and drug trafficking. Pablo Urquízar M, a law faculty academic, stated that these cases show how criminal structures challenge state authority. The document recommends a National Policy against Illicit Commerce integrated with strategies against organized crime.
