CHILE · CRIME
Key Facts
- —The country Chile is the world’s largest copper producer, and its state-owned miner Codelco runs El Teniente, the largest underground copper deposit on the planet.
- —Why it matters Chile supplied 68% of US refined copper imports from 2021 to 2024, so a theft case inside its mining supply chain draws attention in the United States.
- —Why now Police and prosecutors carried out the raids in the early hours of Tuesday 20 October 2026, with detentions in four localities of the O’Higgins region.
- —What happened Detectives arrested 59 people suspected of stealing copper from warehouses serving Codelco and from the cables of power companies.
- —The numbers More than 300 officers took part, about 70 properties were searched and two of the detainees were arrested while working inside the El Teniente mine.
- —What it means for you No tonnage or value of stolen copper has been published, so the effect on supply and prices cannot be sized, and none of the suspects has been convicted.
- —Still open Who did what, how much copper was taken, whether Codelco staff were involved and what the courts decide on custody.
- —Power Index Chile ranks 3rd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 63.6 points (October 2026 edition).
Chile copper theft is the target of a large police operation, after detectives arrested 59 people in the O’Higgins region on Tuesday 20 October 2026. Investigators believe the suspects belonged to a network that took copper from warehouses serving the state miner Codelco and from the cables of electricity companies.
For US readers the case matters because Chile supplied 68% of US refined copper imports from 2021 to 2024, according to the US Geological Survey. The agency estimates that Chile mined 5.3 million metric tons of copper in 2025, close to a quarter of world output of 23 million tons.
No source reviewed puts a tonnage or a value on the copper allegedly stolen, so this article claims no effect on supply or prices. What is established is the scale of the operation, which police and prosecutors ran from a command post attended by regional prosecutor Aquiles Cubillos.
How the Chile Copper Theft Raids Unfolded
The operation, named Veta Roja (Red Vein), began in the early hours of Tuesday 20 October, when the Policía de Investigaciones (PDI), Chile’s civilian detective force, moved on addresses across the region. More than 300 PDI officers took part, and the regional prosecutor’s office confirmed 59 detainees in Rancagua, Machalí, Coya and Mostazal.
Early reports spoke of more than 40 and then more than 50 detainees before the count settled at 59. BioBioChile and other outlets said the number could still rise as the searches continued.
El Desconcierto and ADN Radio put the number of searched properties at about 70. Rancagua is the regional capital, and Machalí, Coya and Mostazal are nearby localities.
The searches covered the homes of suspects and some premises linked to Codelco. Two detainees were arrested while working inside the El Teniente mine, and officers seized copper, firearms, ammunition, cash and vehicles, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office as relayed by La Tercera.
The coverage reviewed gives no quantities for the copper, the weapons or the cash. Prosecutors also have not said over what period the thefts allegedly took place.
The inquiry is led by the Criminal Analysis Prosecutor’s Office of O’Higgins, which worked with two PDI units, the Robbery Brigade and the Money Laundering Brigade. The second unit points to a financial trail, but no money-laundering charge has been announced in the coverage reviewed.
Who Is Accused and What They Allegedly Did
CNN Chile reported that the network was allegedly led by a former officer of Carabineros, Chile’s uniformed national police. El Desconcierto, citing the newspaper Emol, adds that his exit from the force was reportedly unrelated to this investigation.
El Desconcierto, citing Emol, also reports that a woman allegedly handled the finances and the sale of the stolen metal. The same account says one Codelco employee and two contractors allegedly helped take copper from El Teniente.
G5 Noticias, citing the radio station Cooperativa, counted four workers linked to Codelco among the detainees. The counts differ between outlets, and prosecutors have not confirmed either one.
The same El Desconcierto account lists alleged roles, among them mountain crews, mule transporters, cable cutters, scrap-metal receivers and front men who held the profits. These are investigators’ working notes and not court findings, and every suspect is presumed innocent.
Prosecutors have not said what role each of the 59 played, and none has been convicted. El Desconcierto adds that prosecutors were expected to seek more time in custody before a formal charging hearing planned for Thursday 22 October.
Why Codelco and El Teniente Matter
Codelco is Chile’s state-owned copper company, and El Teniente is its mine in the Machalí commune of the O’Higgins region. Codelco describes El Teniente as the largest underground copper deposit on the planet, worked since 1905 and threaded by more than 4,500 kilometers (about 2,800 miles) of tunnels.
The raids reached the mine as one site among many, and nothing published so far says its output was disrupted. Codelco had no statement on the arrests on its news page when we checked on Tuesday.
Investigators say part of the metal disappeared from warehouses of firms that provide services to Codelco. The same sources say the network also cut cable belonging to electricity companies, so the case touches utilities as well as mining.
Our earlier report, Armed Gangs Strip Metal From Chile’s Copper Train Wagons, described a different pattern of metal theft in the north. Our explainer Chile Security and Crime Explained 2026 gives the wider security context.
Why Chile Copper Matters to the United States
The US Geological Survey estimates that the United States imported 1.7 million tons of refined copper in 2025, up from 903,000 tons in 2024. It puts net import reliance at 57% of apparent consumption in 2025, against 45% a year earlier.
Those figures show why US builders, manufacturers and grid companies depend on metal from Chile, which supplied 68% of refined imports in the 2021 to 2024 period. They do not show that the arrests change any shipment, and nothing published so far points to a supply shock.
Theft from contractor warehouses and power cables is first a security and cost problem for the miner and for utilities. Whether it reaches prices depends on volumes that prosecutors have not disclosed.
What It Means for You
Investors in copper users and mining shares should treat this as a security and governance story until a tonnage or a value is published. Our guides Chile Natural Resources Explained 2026 and Copper in Latin America 2026: Mines, Prices and Politics give the production background.
Residents and visitors in central Chile face a case about industrial theft, not street crime, and the coverage reviewed carried no travel guidance. Our Santiago expat city guide and Who Dominates Chile, Elites and Regions Explained cover daily life and who holds power.
What Is Not Known
Prosecutors have not published the tonnage or value of the copper stolen, nor the period over which the thefts allegedly ran. They have not said which charges they will bring beyond describing a network dedicated to stealing and receiving copper on a large scale.
Counts of Codelco employees and contractors among the detainees differ between outlets, and Codelco had not commented when we checked. The 22 October charging date comes from one outlet and is unconfirmed.
The sources do not say what the suspects or their lawyers say, and no one has been convicted. More arrests are possible, because the operation was still under way when the first reports appeared.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people were arrested in the Chile copper theft operation?
Prosecutors confirmed 59 detainees in Rancagua, Machalí, Coya and Mostazal on Tuesday 20 October 2026. Early counts were lower, and more arrests remain possible.
What is Operation Veta Roja?
Veta Roja, or Red Vein, is the name given to the police and prosecutors’ operation against a suspected copper theft network in the O’Higgins region. It was led by the regional Criminal Analysis Prosecutor’s Office with the PDI detective force.
Did the arrests disrupt Codelco’s output?
No source reviewed says so. Searches took place at some Codelco premises and two detainees were arrested inside El Teniente, but no production impact has been reported.
Why does Chile copper theft matter to US readers?
Chile supplied 68% of US refined copper imports from 2021 to 2024, according to the US Geological Survey. The case shows risks in a supply chain that US industry relies on, though no volume of stolen copper has been given.
Are the 59 suspects guilty?
No, they are detainees and a court has not convicted anyone. Prosecutors must still present evidence at hearings, and all suspects are presumed innocent.
Sources: BioBioChile, 20 October 2026; La Tercera, 20 October 2026; CNN Chile, 20 October 2026; El Desconcierto, 20 October 2026; ADN Radio, 20 October 2026; La Nación, 20 October 2026; Codelco, El Teniente division page; US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, copper.
In depth
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