More than 200 people were arrested over the weekend in Viña del Mar as part of the Police’s Barrios en Paz (Neighborhoods in Peace) program.

The arrests were made in the area in Viña del Mar known as Manzana 666, between Valparaiso Avenue and Peru Boulevard. This area is notorious for gang fights, bars and drug trafficking.

The most serious charges were for drug and knife possession, and drinking in public areas.  There were also several charges for driving under the influence.

The new, highly publicized public safety program has made several high profile efforts to showcase the new Piñera government’s “get tough on crime” effort.  There was a large raid in Santiago’s Bellavista area and a faked funeral procession in La Legua that allowed police to get close to major drug dealing centers in that community.  Hundreds were arrested in both efforts.

Jorge Nazer, national director of Public Security, and Virginia Reginato , mayor of Vina Del Mar, said they were happy with the success of the operative  and Piñera’s overall  fight against crime.

SOURCE: LA TERCERA
By Sebastian Leon ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )