Operation Apocalypse: CDE Files Criminal Charges Against 42 Gendarmes and 35 Civilians for Penitentiary Corruption Network

Original article: Operación Apocalipsis: CDE se querella contra 42 gendarmes y 35 civiles por red de corrupción penitenciaria

In an unprecedented event in the history of the Chilean penitentiary system, the State Defense Council (CDE) has filed a criminal complaint against 77 individuals – 42 officials from Gendarmería de Chile and 35 civilians – for their alleged involvement in an extensive and systematic corruption network within two prison facilities in the Metropolitan Region. This legal action, submitted to the 12th Guarantee Court of Santiago, marks a significant milestone in the institutional response of the State to the severe integrity crisis that surfaced due to the so-called “Operation Apocalypse”.

The complaint aims to address the tremendous patrimonial and moral damage caused to the State of Chile, founded on charges of bribery and corruption, but it warns that further investigations may uncover more complex crimes, such as illicit association, money laundering, and forgery of public documents.

According to the legal document submitted by the CDE, the corruption network primarily operated within the Santiago 1 Penitentiary and the San Joaquín Women’s Penitentiary Center. The complaint clearly outlines the pattern of criminal behavior: “a direct intervention pattern by public officials of Gendarmería solidified from 2020 to present, who allegedly requested, accepted, and/or received financial benefits… to allow unauthorized individuals to enter”.

The report goes even further in detailing the repercussions of this illegal intervention: “the introduction and circulation of illicit items,” including mobile phones and drugs, facilitated by “coordination between inmates, third parties, and officials,” reported El Mostrador.

Operation Apocalypse: A Serious Blow to Gendarmería

This civil action from the State complements a massive police and judicial operation launched last week by the Metropolitan Western Regional Prosecutor’s Office and the Economic Crimes Brigade (BRIDEC) of the PDI. This operation, one of the largest in Gendarmería’s history, resulted in the arrest of 66 individuals, 44 of whom are active prison officials.

The operation was based on an investigation that spanned at least eight months and covered illegal activities between 2023 and 2025, revealing a systemic corruption network at the heart of the supposedly most secure prison in the country, the High Security Prison (CAS) Santiago 1.

The investigations included wiretaps, installation of hidden cameras, surveillance, and financial analysis, detailing the existence of an active illegal market inside the prison, known among inmates as “the fair.” According to information accessed by CIPER and included in the case, gendarmes offered a “catalog” of services at established rates:

-Entrance of undocumented individuals: $60,000.

-Use of bathroom for sexual relations: $15,000.

-Module change: $100,000.

-One kilo of “huachalomo” meat: $60,000.

-Mobile phone: $350,000 to $400,000.

-Mobile phone charger: $50,000.

-Phone chip: $15,000.

The business also included methods such as “rescue” – the resale of items previously confiscated by the gendarmes to the inmates – and “delivery,” where officials would purchase items requested by inmates, including drugs, to smuggle them in. Payments were made in cash or via transfers to personal accounts or those of frontmen, with at least nine gendarmes identified in the “rescue” and seven officials’ partners as presumed frontmen.

$60,000 for Evading Biometric Controls

One of the most shocking visual findings from the investigation includes images showing Gendarmería staff allowing the entrance of individuals without documentation into CAS Santiago 1, bypassing all protocols, including biometric fingerprint registration.

Sources close to the investigation described the procedure to CIPER: “What is evident in those images is Gendarmería personnel pretending to follow the protocol that must be executed in these cases: verifying the identity documents of those requesting entry, checking if they are registered among the authorized visitors to inmates, and taking their fingerprint for record of access.”

The actions of the officials, aware of the surveillance cameras, were deemed a “true farce”: “they put on a true act, moving arms and hands, pretending to check an identity card and register a fingerprint.” This maneuver had a fixed price: $60,000 for each undocumented visit.

The damage caused by this practice is considered incalculable. The same sources note, “it is impossible to determine who entered in this manner to meet members of criminal organizations in pre-trial detention – including leaders from the Tren de Aragua – who could use this route to relay instructions externally and orchestrate crimes such as kidnappings, contract killings, drug trafficking, prostitution, human trafficking, and extortion.”

In summary, the list of officials under investigation includes:

1. Luis Rodrigo Santana Gutiérrez
2. Rubén Alejandro Zúñiga Burgos
3. Carlos Ricardo Marín Hueche
4. José Hernán Cisternas Pino
5. Eduardo Alfredo Espinosa Ramos
6. Fernando Andrés Morales Retamal
7. Miguel Ángel Tejo Atenas
8. Ricardo Andrés Gutiérrez Acuña
9. Ricardo Antonio Riveros Matus
10. Boris Francisco Rodríguez Osses
11. Humberto Darío Sandoval León
12. Ariel Sebastián Mallea Alvarado
13. Aaron Octavio Hernández Martínez
14. Richard Andrés Medel Alvear
15. Fernando Maunes Chamorro Morales
16. Joel Alejandro Lagos Olivares
17. Stefania Fernanda San Martín Rivera
18. Sergio Reinaldo Zúñiga Briones
19. Bárbara Natalia Yévenes Vásquez
20. Pedro Francisco Malverde Rodríguez
21. Marcelo Pinilla Aroca
22. Ignacio Araneda Muñoz
23. Moisés Contreras Contreras
24. Luis Ruiz González
25. Elvis Astudillo Hormazábal
26. Julio César Henríquez Villalobos
27. Cristian Alexis Valenzuela Quezada
28. Carlos Eduardo Martínez Rodríguez
29. Leandro Antonio Díaz Sanhueza
30. Luis Gastón Bravo Piggati
31. Guillermo Andrés Velozo Díaz
32. Adolfo Antonio Jiménez Sierra
33. Nicolás Armando Ayala Chamorro
34. Fernando Antonio Uribe Martínez
35. Iván Andrés Ramírez Ramírez
36. Felipe Eduardo Chávez Olivares
37. Misael Felipe Castro
38. Juan Francisco Neculman Flores
39. Claudio Alejandro Vivieros Ñanco
40. Óscar Alejandro Marimán Caniupán
41. Pedro Hernán Huechupan Cárdenas
42. CIPER indicated they could not verify the identity of one of the officials.

Ongoing Legal Proceedings

Alongside the filing of the CDE complaint, an extensive detention control and formalization hearing began this Friday in the 12th Guarantee Court of Santiago against the arrested gendarmes. Due to the high number of accused individuals, it is estimated that the process will extend over several sessions, possibly until early next week.

The judicial journey has only just begun. After the formalization, the accused will be subject to the precautionary measures determined by the court, which may include preventive detention. The Prosecutor’s investigation, now strengthened by the CDE’s action, will seek to fully uncover the network, its leaders, the amounts of money involved, and the ultimate destination of the illicit funds.