Original article: “Falsa emboscada para justificar el robo de madera”: Las denuncias previo al fallecido del excapitán Toledo sobre corrupción en Carabineros
Former Captain Toledo’s Revelations of «Organized Crime» within Carabineros:
The serious allegations made by former Carabineros captain Miguel Ángel Toledo, compiled by Revista de Frente, raise critical questions about systemic corruption and institutional violence within the police force. The publication emphasizes that his death under «mysterious circumstances» should be understood within the context of a state with «unchecked power sectors» and a police force that can act as a «corrupt business arm.» It highlights that, in a politically charged environment, Toledo’s case is «not an isolated incident,» but rather a symptom of authoritarian regression.
According to Revista de Frente, Toledo transformed from a common whistleblower to a key witness against a system that he believed used fabrications and institutional violence to safeguard privileges. After retiring, he entered the forestry business and accused an «organized wood theft» operation in La Araucanía, revealing a «systematic» operation involving active officers. He recounted that when he sought protection for his operations, Carabineros imposed irregular conditions: «They told me I had to mark with GPS the points where the wood was stored… in an area spanning more than 5,000 hectares.»
Toledo claimed he attempted to ensure safety using his own drones, but his proposal was rejected: «I had drones that could cover 15 kilometers to show I had everything monitored… the commander refused, which I found suspicious. It was the same day as the attack.» He asserted that he had identified police weaponry being used during the alleged setup: «I specialize in weaponry; I immediately recognized those bursts were from Uzis. The only people who use Uzis are the Carabineros, no one else.» He also alleged that the simulated attack concealed the theft of tons of wood: «a false ambush to justify the theft of wood. Because Carabineros knew perfectly well where the wood was, the quantity involved.»
In his testimony, detailed by Revista de Frente, Toledo described meetings with police commanders, accused Colonel Marcelo Teuber of covering up the system, and asserted that an officer admitted to him that «there’s an officer above who leads the wood theft.» He also recounted how Corporal Manuel Colipán confessed that his injury was not caused by a «Mapuche assault,» but by a colleague, with the police report falsified. He pointed to an illegal operation being cleaned up through exports: «As the frequency of setups increases, so does the export production… they launder the stolen wood.»
Among his most serious accusations, Toledo claimed that a fatal attack officially attributed to Mapuches was misattributed: «I know who they are. Look, they are not Mapuche… They want to involve a terrorist group… which is false! It’s a lie.» He indicated that «insider elements» were responsible, warning that his revelations threatened entrenched interests in impunity. His death, concludes Revista de Frente, serves as «a political warning» in a country where whistleblowers lose protection and where institutional violence can «reassume legitimacy.»
