Police disband Santiago auto-theft ring

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SANTIAGO.- After a month of investigation, officers from the 20th Puente Alto Police Station have broken up a group of criminals dedicated to auto-theft in Santiago. The individuals had been stealing vehicles, chopping them and selling the parts on the street, 10 de Julio.

Law-enforcement officials uncovered two hidden body shops located in the Puente Alto communities of Río Elqui and Municpal.

48 year-old Raúl Silva González was arrested during the raid, along with his son, 27 year-old Raúl Silva Santader, and 55 year-old Alejandro Orellana Salinas, who had been hired to dismantle the vehicles. Orellana Salinas has been summoned to the Penal Court of Puente Alto.

During the bust, police also seized a homemade shotgun, four Nissan V-16 vehicles and at least 10 other automobiles that had been completely taken apart. An appraisal done on the auto parts valued them at eight million pesos.