CHILE · ORGANISED CRIME
Key Facts
- —The country Chile, which has spent recent years confronting foreign gangs such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
- —Why it matters Brazil’s First Capital Command (PCC) is one of Latin America’s largest criminal groups. Investigators say it had formally sworn in members inside Chile.
- —What happened Before dawn on Monday 28 September, police and prosecutors moved on 24 suspects, searching six homes and entering eight prisons, Mega Investiga reported.
- —Who is involved The PDI investigative police and the South Santiago regional prosecutor’s office. One suspect is wanted over the August killing of a police officer.
- —What it means for you No change for residents or visitors. The case shows Brazilian gangs recruiting inside Chilean prisons, a trend security policy will now have to address.
- —Still open How many people were actually detained, when charges will be filed in court, and where the fugitive suspect is.
Chilean police and prosecutors raided homes and prisons on Monday 28 September against what outlets describe as the first PCC cell in Chile. The PCC, or First Capital Command, is Brazil’s biggest criminal organisation.
The investigative outlet CIPER reported that about twenty Chilean members were “neutralised” in the dawn operation. Some were already serving sentences, and investigators believe they were recruited behind bars.
Operation “Sintonía 1533”
According to Mega Investiga, the investigative unit of Chilean broadcaster Mega, the operation carried 24 arrest warrants. Officers searched six homes in the Santiago region and entered eight prisons between Arica in the far north and Biobío in the south.
It was led by the PDI, Chile’s plain-clothes detective force, and the South Santiago regional prosecutor’s office. Mega reported the initial suspected offences as drug trafficking and criminal association for drug trafficking.
The name is a nod to the gang itself. The PCC calls its cells “sintonias”, and 1533 is its numeric code, with 15 standing for P and each 3 for C.
Sworn members, not just business partners
Mega said investigators believe the suspects had been formally “baptised” into the PCC as “brothers”. It called this the first Chilean case against such sworn members, rather than local gangs that merely trade with the group.
A central figure, per Mega, is Lucas Leonardo de Oliveira Santos, a Brazilian serving a five-year homicide sentence in Santiago. Investigators accuse him of inducting some of the Chilean recruits.
CIPER and Mega both said the case began with phones and records seized in Brazil that named contacts in Chile. Teletrece had reported in March 2024 that Brazil sent Chile details of 11 Chileans found in PCC records.
A link to a police killing
Both CIPER and Mega reported that one suspect, Francisco Javier Rivera Galaz, is also wanted over the killing of Carabineros corporal Alejandro Ortiz. Ortiz was shot while off duty in Renca, a Santiago district, on 27 August.
Mega said Rivera appears in the file as a “baptised” PCC member but was not found on Monday. His role in the killing has not been established in court.
The raids come days after Chile Joins US-Led Crime Coalition and Drops Observer Role, a pact aimed at groups like the PCC.
What Is Not Yet Known
Neither the prosecutor’s office nor the PDI had published a detention count by Monday afternoon. Mega stressed that the 24 warrants do not equal 24 arrests.
No date has been reported for the court hearings where suspects will be formally charged. The outlets also differ on when the Brazilian evidence was seized, citing 2021 and 2022.
More: Chile news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Operation Sintonía 1533?
Pre-dawn raids on 28 September on six homes and eight prisons, targeting 24 alleged sworn members of Brazil’s PCC gang in Chile.
What is the PCC?
Brazil’s First Capital Command, one of Latin America’s largest criminal groups; investigators say it had formally sworn in members inside Chile.
Is there a link to a police killing?
Yes. One suspect is wanted over the August killing of a police officer.
Should residents or visitors worry?
No change for daily life. The case shows Brazilian gangs recruiting inside Chilean prisons, a trend security policy will now have to address.
Sources: CIPER, 28 September 2026; Mega Investiga, 28 September 2026; Mega Investiga on the Renca case; Teletrece, 28 September 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error