SAG fines Bolivian agricultural smuggling in Tarapacá with up to 40 UTM

The Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) of the Tarapacá Region notified a set of sanctioning resolutions for the irregular entry of agricultural products of Bolivian origin, including one affecting a residence used as a smuggling collection center. The sanctions, signed by regional director Sue Vera Cortez, were published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,551, on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in Section II of Particular Norms, under official reference CVE 2864143.

The actions are based on Law No. 18,755, which regulates the objective of SAG to protect animal and plant health, and Decree Law No. 3,557/1980, on agricultural protection, whose articles 19, 20, and 21 require that plants and products of plant or animal origin enter only through authorized ports, accompanied by an official sanitary certificate and following review by the Service. The Agrarian Reform Regulation No. 16/1963 and exempt resolutions No. 1,194/2001, No. 3,138/1999, and No. 1,559/1995 establish the sanitary requirements for dairy, livestock products, and eggs.

Smuggling collection center

Exempt resolution No. 1,130 of 06/27/26 (case file No. 230,174) sanctioned Marta Mejía López, a Peruvian national, following an entry and search procedure authorized by the Guarantee Court (case RIT No. 441-2023, RUC No. 2310006376-K), with support from Carabineros de Chile. A collection center for smuggled products of Bolivian origin was verified at the property, and the accused exhibited violent behavior toward officials during the procedure.

• Fresh cheese: 20 kg
• Papaya: 40 kg
• Banana: 80 kg
• Avocado: 2 kg
• Lime: 10 kg
• Lemon: 30 kg
• Potato: 20 kg
• Corn: 50 kg
• Chuño potato: 40 kg
• Cider: 3 units
• Beer: 60 units

For these facts, 30 UTM were applied for violation of Decree Law No. 3,557 and 10 UTM for failure to comply with the sanitary requirements of Regulation No. 16, totaling 40 UTM. The offender had four previous cases (Roles No. 210162, No. 2101134, No. 2101150, and No. 2101208).

Border fines and local trade

At the Colchane border complex, undeclared products were intercepted in the Joint Sworn Declaration. Exempt resolution No. 580 of 04/21/26 fined Leonora Pocube Yospi 3 UTM for 1.1 kg of lemon; No. 1,158 of 06/28/26 applied 3 UTM to Maria Lurdes Ortiz Jaldin for cheese, tamarind, and orange; and No. 880 of 05/30/26 sanctioned Sonia Ramírez Estrada with 5 UTM for storing and selling 440 units of chicken eggs of Bolivian origin at premises No. 22 of the Iquique Agricultural Terminal. The same Sonia Ramírez Estrada was fined 4 UTM by exempt resolution No. 1,330 of 07/19/26 upon the seizure of 60 kg of potatoes of clandestine appearance.

Recidivism and Absolutions

Exempt resolution No. 1,171 of 06/29/26 applied 20 UTM to Susana Mamani Luis, a repeat offender, for storing 9 palms and 323 ornamental cacti of clandestine origin at her residence. In contrast, the Service granted a one-time absolution to Carlos Guzmán Canamari (0.04 kg of plant residue), Ruthna Torrez Pizarro (locoto and herbs), Cezar Cespedez Vargas (0.33 kg of cheese), and Jacinto Serrano Barron (1.345 kg of corn), considering the small quantity, the absence of intent for clandestine entry, and the lack of prior records.

Fines must be paid at the SAG offices at Salvador Allende St. No. 3366, Iquique, within the tenth business day after the resolution becomes final, under penalty of enforcement. Offenders have 10 business days to request a review before the National Director of SAG.

The publication reinforces phytosanitary control at the northern border, where the entry of products without sanitary certification represents a risk to national agriculture, and warns merchants and travelers about the economic and legal consequences of agricultural smuggling.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,551, September 15, 2026, Section II Particular Norms (official reference: CVE 2864143).