[News] Codeine: the other large-scale drug trafficking that floods the po[CENSORED]tion sectors

[FNX Magokiler]

It was an operation that did not generate major press headlines, among other things because the drug seized was not as striking as ecstasy or fentanyl, and because behind it there did not seem to be any bloodthirsty organization in the style of the Sinaloa cartel, the Aragua Train or something like that.

However, the volumes are impressive, since Arica is a commune that has an estimated po[CENSORED]tion of 226 thousand people, the figures that the Prosecutor's Office and the PDI manage to date indicate that the two subjects detained in the police investigation that took place almost In one month, in less than two years, they marketed almost 46,000 bottles of different cough syrups based on codeine, an opioid analgesic that is mainly used as a cough suppressant.

In other words, if these sales had all been legitimate, that means that almost a quarter of the po[CENSORED]tion of Arica had respiratory problems in recent years, but even a pandemic is not a figure that makes any sense.

The main person involved in these events is a pharmaceutical chemist of Peruvian origin, who was identified in the formalization hearing as José Orellana Pizarro, owner of three Farmahorro pharmacies in Arica, who was formalized by the Criminal Analysis Prosecutor's Office by a figure who practically never is used, although it is one of the first crimes that appears in the Drug Law. In effect, it is article 7 of said legal body, which sanctions people who, having authorization to supply drugs legally, "did so in contravention of the legal or regulatory provisions that regulate them."

 

 

In addition to a prison sentence, the accused also faces, by virtue of said article (if it is proven that they were repeated acts), the possibility of having his premises closed and being prohibited in perpetuity from selling drugs. in a controlled manner.

In addition to this, Orellana also faces another problem that may even be greater, in terms of sanctions, since he was accused of money laundering, given that the Prosecutor's Office found records regarding the purchase of three apartments that the pursuing entity believes were acquired with money from codeine trafficking, to which is added a significant amount of money transfers from Chile to Peru.

The investigation in this regard is in full development and one of its aspects also has to do with the laboratories that supplied large quantities of syrup to Orellana, from Santiago, which are also being investigated, since it is suspected that just as they supplied the pharmacist Ariqueño, it is likely that they did the same with respect to other communes, knowing that cough syrup made on the basis of codeine is a very addictive drug, which is consumed especially in the po[CENSORED]tion sectors, due to its narcotic effect, and turning a blind eye to the serious effects that excessive intake without medical control can produce on health, which include complete loss of consciousness and even permanent psychosis and paranoia.

 

https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/pais/2023/12/25/codeina-el-otro-trafico-de-drogas-a-gran-escala-que-inunda-los-sectores-poblacionales/