Presidential Order Spurs FACh Drug Probe After 10 Shipments; Military Drug Finds Prompt Army Tests in Colchane

Chilean authorities are investigating a drug trafficking case involving members of the Chilean Air Force (FACh). The Fiscal of Tarapacá revealed that detained FACh personnel made at least 10 drug shipments. Following initial reluctance, the FACh complied with a presidential order to hand over information related to the implicated personnel to the Public Prosecutor's Office. However, the Prosecutor's Office stated that the data provided did not meet their requirements. In a related development, drugs were discovered at a military barracks in Colchane, including ovoids found inside a thermos. The Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Public Prosecutor's Office will handle the case, and the government announced that the Army will conduct inspections and drug tests in response to the incident. Further drugs were found in military premises, including illicit substances in the belongings of a conscripted soldier. The Army suggested that the drugs found in the Colchane base may have been abandoned in a migrant truck. Separately, the Chilean Supreme Court ratified sentences against 34 members of the Tren de Aragua gang.