Authorities of the Government of Chile announced the completion of a task to remove chemical precursors that had been in the Port of Arica for five years.
According to the Regional Presidential Delegation of Arica and Parinacota, the task was carried out over four months and allowed the elimination of a potential risk to people, the environment, and port operations.
Regarding the task that was executed with the precursors, the regional presidential delegate, Cristián Sayes Maldonado, highlighted that “we have already managed to transfer, since Wednesday – June 24th – and today it has arrived at its destination for the total destruction of these 576 tons of ethyl acetate that were in our port.”
It should be recalled that, in October 2025, the Regional Presidential Delegation of Arica and Parinacota reported the beginning of an operation for the removal, transport, and final disposal of the chemical precursors seized at the port, in a procedure that was described as unprecedented in Chile’s history due to its magnitude and complexity.
The phase involved removing 41 containers with more than 690 tons of chemical substances used as precursors for drug manufacturing. Among these, 576 tons of ethyl acetate stood out, a highly flammable liquid requiring extreme safety measures, along with other batches of calcium chloride, sodium hydroxide, and sodium metabisulfite.
The stockpiling of these chemicals at the Port of Arica generated concerns in the sector, to such an extent that the leadership of the Confederation of Port Workers of Chile (Cotraporchi) addressed then-president Gabriel Boric to intervene in the removal of the cargo, estimating that it involved more than 500 tons of products considered hazardous.
