Two men are accused of beating and robbing a driver as police crackdown on salmon heists in Chile.
Two people are in custody in connection with a violent robbery of a truck carrying EUR 440 thousand worth of salmon, reports biobiochile.cl.
The incident took place Saturday night between Yumbel and Concepción, Biobío region, in the heart of Chile’s salmon farming hub.
Read more: Police to crack down on “Wild West” style salmon heists in Chile
The bandits stopped the driver who was then beaten and forced to change his trajectory in the direction.
Commander of Carabineros of the Bío Bío Prefecture, Lieutenant Colonel Alejandro Halabí explained that a witness alerted them to what happened. Police then proceeding to follow the truck and arrest the men.
The names of the accused are Fabián Vera Díaz (25) and Roberto Saavedra Ponce (31).
The men were denied bail. An investigation period has been set at three months, at which time the Prosecutor’s Office will investigate, among other things, if the accused may be involved in other crimes that have been committed in the area.
Targeting an area what’s been nicknamed the “Bermuda Triangle”, drug dealers and criminals are frequently hijacking salmon trucks because they see it as a risk-free and lucrative black market business.
