Chile Seizes $8.3 Billion Worth of Drugs Hidden in Lumber Shipments

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Santiago: Chilean authorities have announced the country's largest-ever drug seizure after uncovering about 100 tons of cocaine and ketamine concealed inside lumber shipments bound for Europe.

The operation, which followed a six-month investigation, led to the seizure of 1,080.8 tons of wood treated with illegal drugs at the ports of Arica, San Antonio and Valparaiso. Authorities said 45 containers carrying the tainted lumber were identified during the probe.

Officials described the bust as a major blow to organised crime, highlighting the increasingly sophisticated methods being used by drug traffickers to move narcotics across continents.

According to Chile's Customs Bureau, between 10 and 20 percent of the seized lumber consisted of illicit substances, mainly cocaine and ketamine. The drugs were chemically embedded in the wood and would have required specialised laboratory processes to be extracted once the shipments reached Europe.

Authorities estimated the seized drugs would have had a retail value of about $8.3 billion on the European market.

Security Minister Martin Arrau said the operation demonstrated both the scale of the criminal networks targeting Chile and the advanced techniques being employed to smuggle drugs internationally.

The seizure was carried out through a joint operation involving Chile's customs service, maritime police and prosecutors, making it the largest drug bust in the country's history.