Dermocosmetic Smuggling Bust At Ollagüe

Chile’s National Customs Service said on May 12 that officers at the Ollagüe border crossing in the Antofagasta region seized a shipment of undeclared dermocosmetic products that was headed to Bolivia. The agency said the goods were found during inspections of freight trucks at the high-altitude crossing. Customs officers said a Bolivian truck driver had concealed the products in the cab of his vehicle. The agency valued the goods at more than 18.2 million Chilean pesos. ### How was the shipment found at Ollagüe? Customs officers at Ollagüe found the products during risk-based screening and inspection of cargo trucks, the National Customs Service said. The agency described the case as an attempted export smuggling operation through the border crossing in the Antofagasta region. A Bolivian truck driver was carrying 21 boxes inside the cab of the vehicle, according to the customs statement. (aduana.cl) Officers said the boxes held hundreds of personal-care items, including moisturizing and anti-wrinkle creams, shampoo, oils, sunscreen and facial cleansing gel. ### What exactly did customs say it seized? The National Customs Service said officers counted 1,059 containers of dermocosmetic products after the inspection. (aduana.cl) The products included items from brands such as Eucerin, La Roche-Posay, Uriage, Isdin, Nivea, CeraVe and Vichy, according to the agency. BioBioChile, citing the same customs operation, reported a total of 1,509 containers. (aduana.cl) The customs service’s own statement lists 1,059 containers, while both accounts put the customs value at more than 18.2 million pesos. ### Why did customs treat the products as contraband? Chile’s customs agency said the goods were seized because they had not been declared to customs. (aduana.cl) The service said the case fell under Article 168, paragraph four, of Chile’s Customs Ordinance. Francisco Romero Papasideris, director of the Antofagasta Regional Customs office, said the agency maintains permanent controls over goods moving across Chile’s borders and applies specific risk profiling to products linked to public health. (aduana.cl) He said that framework led officers to detect the shipment and stop it from leaving the country irregularly. ### Why were dermocosmetic products singled out? Francisco Romero Papasideris said customs had specific risk profiles for products tied to public health, and he cited that as the reason the shipment drew scrutiny. The statement did not say whether the products were counterfeit, expired or otherwise unsafe; it said they were undeclared and were being taken out of Chile irregularly. (aduana.cl) The seized goods were described by customs as personal-care and dermocosmetic products rather than medicines. The agency’s published account focused on the lack of declaration, the route to Bolivia and the value of the merchandise. ### Is this part of a broader enforcement push in northern Chile? On April 17, the National Customs Service reported other contraband seizures in northern Chile at El Loa and Quillagua, including counterfeit shoes, undeclared goods and 9,300 bottles of beverages. (aduana.cl) Customs said those cases were detected with scanner trucks and non-intrusive inspection technology. That earlier statement said the service had strengthened inspection capacity in strategic northern zones. In the Ollagüe case, customs similarly said it was carrying out permanent border controls and risk-based reviews of cargo moving through the crossing. On May 12, the National Customs Service said the Ollagüe goods had been confiscated and identified the legal basis for the seizure as Article 168 of the Customs Ordinance. (aduana.cl) The agency’s public statement did not name the driver or announce charges, and the next official updates would be expected from the Antofagasta Regional Customs office or the national customs service. (aduana.cl)