Chilean Court Orders Preventive Detention for 30 Linked to Tren de Aragua Faction

A significant crackdown on a southern faction of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization has resulted in 30 individuals being placed under preventive detention following a three-day court hearing in Temuco, Chile. The group, apprehended this week across the La Araucanía, Maule, Los Lagos, and Metropolitan regions, faces charges including illicit association, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

The Public Ministry detailed a hierarchical structure within the organization, revealing that key operations were managed from inside Santiago 1 prison. The faction primarily focused on small-scale drug trafficking, with leaders directing subordinates to transport substances from the capital to Temuco, where another subgroup handled sales.

In addition to the 30 individuals ordered into pre-trial detention, a judge imposed different precautionary measures on six women, identified as partners of some defendants. These measures include house arrest, national arraignment, and prohibitions on contacting other accused individuals. Another defendant was placed under total house arrest after being caught with drugs in his home.

The chief prosecutor for Criminal Analysis in La Araucanía, César Schibar, appealed the court's decision, seeking preventive detention for all 38 defendants due to their alleged involvement in the criminal association. The Court of Appeals in Temuco is set to review this request as the prosecution continues its investigation.