Chile launches anti-salmon theft task force amid rising organised crime.
The Chilean government has launched a new interagency task force to address the growing problem of organised salmon theft in the south of the country.
The initiative, announced Thursday by Undersecretary for Public Security Rafael Collado in Puerto Montt, and reported on by media outlet The Puerto Varas, aims to strengthen coordination across public and private sectors in response to an escalating pattern of thefts affecting multiple points in the salmon supply chain.
The group aims to prevent, investigate, and dismantle criminal networks involved in salmon theft from farming centres, trucks, and illegal resale points.
“Just as we did with timber theft, today we are promoting this task force together with the private sector to generate measures to combat salmon theft throughout the chain,” said Collado. “This crime is not just an isolated theft: behind this criminal market are organised gangs that seek to intervene throughout the entire value chain. To fight these organisations, a key element to guarantee quality and safety is to strengthen the traceability of the salmon route.”
The task force will meet monthly and includes representatives from Carabineros, PDI, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, SII, Sernapesca, Customs, Directemar, the ministries of Health and Transport, and industry bodies SalmonChile and the Salmon Council.
Topics under discussion include break-ins at farming centres, the hijacking of large transport trucks—particularly in the regions of Ñuble, Biobío, La Araucanía, Los Ríos and Los Lagos—and the resale of stolen salmon. According to Chile’s Strategic Coordination Unit, 51 salmon truck robberies were recorded between 2023 and 2024.
“We value the initiative to address the growing phenomenon of salmon theft. This is a crime that, besides its significant economic impact, seriously endangers the integrity of workers, especially drivers,” said Tomás Monge, corporate affairs manager at SalmonChile. “We have highlighted the urgency of establishing new criminal classifications, greater traceability of the product, and effective coordination between public services and the investigative units of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.”
“This is not exclusively a private or public sector problem,” said Rodrigo Pinto, corporate and compliance director at the Salmon Council. “It is a shared challenge, requiring commitment from everyone, each in their role, but with a common purpose: the benefit of an industry and the benefit of Chile.”
He also stressed the economic scale of the sector: “More than 700,000 tonnes exported annually, revenues exceeding $6.5 billion, and over 70,000 jobs created nationwide. An industry of this magnitude deserves no less.”
With this first session concluded, the Chilean government has introduced a new operational and strategic tool to address a crime that has evolved from isolated thefts to coordinated schemes threatening traceability, public health, worker safety, and the legal economy in southern Chile.
