Overview
- The mayor ordered two mobile Carabineros posts on Avenida del Mar, a 30% increase in police deployment, drones for monitoring, and round-the-clock municipal inspectors at critical points.
- Daniela Norambuena said specialized gangs focus on Toyota pickups and SUVs, moving stolen vehicles to stash sites before taking them out of the country via Route 5 toward Bolivia.
- Officials counted three vehicle robberies affecting Argentines among roughly 5,400 visitors to La Serena in the latest period, with an additional case reported in Concón.
- One San Juan tourist in La Serena foiled a theft by removing his Toyota SW4’s steering wheel before parking, and no injuries were reported.
- Insurer AACH tallied 11,511 insured vehicle thefts through October with a 46% recovery rate, as Toyota models led the ranking (Hilux 1,006) and RAV4 thefts surged from 301 in 2024 to 827 in 2025; Argentina’s embassy issued preventive guidance for travelers.