Minister Arrau highlights the arrest of WAM members: "They have been falling week by week"

Security Minister Martín Arrau congratulated the Investigative Police (PDI) and the Army for their joint tactical operation, which led to the arrest of two members of the Weichán Auka Mapu (WAM) organization. Alexis Marihuen Marihuen and Flavio Huenupil Yuvine had active arrest warrants for their alleged participation in the homicide of Manuel Huenupil, a forestry worker. The acts they are accused of occurred in 2022 in the commune of Carahue, in the La Araucanía Region. Along those lines, the Secretary of State emphasized that the individuals "belonged to terrorist organizations in the southern macrozone," and mentioned that in that area there is "a list of prioritized fugitives." "They have been falling week by week. That is the action of the State. It doesn't matter if they flee, if they hide, we are focusing a great deal of energy to be able to find all of them," he declared. Likewise, he stated that for "each of these individuals who is arrested," the investigation will continue to determine potential accomplices or people who facilitate their escapes or hiding places. "The facilitators of this type of crime also face quite high penalties in our country, and from the Ministry of Security we are encouraging broader prosecution," he added. Inspection Operation Arrau's statements were made in the context of an inter-institutional inspection operation in the area of the Cenco Costanera mall, which he led together with the mayor of Providencia, Jaime Bellolio. The deployment included teams from the Ministry of Transport, Carabineros de Chile, inspectors, and the municipal Citizen Security force. "At least eight motorcycles have already been taken off the streets, either because they did not have their papers or because some of their drivers were in violation, and for that reason it is a way of providing more security to all the people who live in and use the city of Providencia," highlighted the municipal authority. "These are traffic operations, but they take crime off the streets. In a short time, eight vehicles have already been taken off the road, but also people who are in violation of immigration law. In these operations, people will come out—and always come out—who have outstanding warrants, who are fugitives from justice. Generally, weapons are found and street crime is reduced. These are very productive operations that we are going to repeat every day across the country," said the security chief. For his part, the mayor stressed that the inter-institutional action was carried out at a point "that is very central": "Hundreds of thousands of people pass through here, close to a million people during weekdays, and today there are thousands of people whom you can see traveling in vehicles, on motorcycles, and also on foot." With that background, Bellolio detailed that one of the most prevalent crimes in Providencia "is motorcycle snatching," where criminals "take advantage of people walking along the sidewalks with their phone in hand and snatch it from them." "Some years ago we managed to uncover a gang of nearly 100 people who participated in these crimes and shared all kinds of information. If we were inspecting in Los Leones, they would move to Pedro de Valdivia, then to Manuel Montt, they would go along Bilbao, along Providencia. How have we solved that? By carrying out these inspections," recounted the mayor. Referring to another operation, the minister stressed that they managed to take around 2,000 motorcycles off the streets. "That will be repeated frequently; of course we will not announce them. It must be understood that greater traffic control has a direct effect not only on perception, but directly on crime," he said.