Driver escapes after being kidnapped during salmon export transport.
A truck driver transporting 22,000 kilograms of export-bound salmon was kidnapped and later managed to free himself after being abandoned tied up in a rural area near Gorbea, Chile.
According to local police and reporting by Radio Bío Bío, the incident began when the driver was approached by two individuals at a service station north of Osorno, in the Los Lagos region. The assailants took control of the vehicle and forcibly transported the driver first toward the vicinity of Futrono, then to a secondary location near Gorbea in the neighbouring Los Ríos region. There, he was left bound in a rural area.
The driver, who is based in Puerto Montt, managed to free himself and subsequently reported the incident to a nearby police station.
The stolen vehicle was later recovered without its trailer. The missing cargo included approximately 22 metric tonnes of salmon intended for export via Santiago’s international airport.
Nelson Santibáñez, the owner of the truck, estimated total losses at approximately CLP 280 million ($305,000), including both the lost cargo and the missing trailer equipment.
Santibáñez also told Radio Bío Bío that such incidents are becoming increasingly common in southern Chile, particularly in the regions of Los Lagos, Los Ríos, and La Araucanía. He noted that small logistics firms have been disproportionately affected and criticised what he sees as inadequate security guarantees from both authorities and highway concessionaires along Route 5.
Police investigations are ongoing.