According to reports, on 10 January, ten armed men entered Chile’s main seaport where they then stole several shipping containers filled with copper belonging to the state-owned Codelco.
As reported by Reuters, the men entered the San Antonio port early in the morning, attacking workers and stealing 13 containers, 12 of which had copper. A local police captain said that after the suspects cut off the security cameras, another group of the attackers went in to intimidate the guards and workers.
“There was one guard and four workers that [were] tied up and beat and left locked up,” said Juan Carlos Catalan, the local prosecutor. He added that the workers alerted authorities after they freed themselves.
Catalan said authorities are investigating and reviewing security footage but have not detained any suspects as of yet, although suggest that a local gang is to blame.
Local media reported the copper plates were worth an estimated $4.4 million. According to the news outlet, Chilean mining companies have repeatedly complained about copper thefts by specialized gangs.