Chile, long considered one of Latin America's safer havens, is grappling with an unprecedented surge in organized crime, largely driven by the infiltration of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang. The arrival of this transnational criminal organization has not only exacerbated violence but also brought a level of criminal sophistication previously unseen in the country.
During an interview with Insight Crime, Pablo Zeballos, an organized crime consultant and former intelligence official in Chile's Carabineros police force, analyzed how a series of unfortunate events, such as the delegitimization of governmental institutions, cases of police violence during the 2019 protests and an unprepared prison system, helped Tren de Aragua's gang members establish and diversify its criminal operations in the country.
