Detective Consuelo Peña San Martín was the first woman in the history of the institution to assume the role of general prefect. Not only that, her rise to the high command of the PDI was accompanied by the challenge she had to lead: being the number two of the civil police and directing the department of Intelligence, Organized Crime, and Migration Security in April 2024. Her tenure was not smooth.

The first major crisis occurred in October 2024—six months after she took office—when the sexual abuse case involving former Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, erupted. She had to manage significant political pressure when it became known that the PDI's intelligence unit had conducted key actions at the Intercontinental hotel, where the crime allegedly took place. Additionally, security footage was obtained from the center and the Ají Seco Místico restaurant amid the investigations led by prosecutor Xavier Armendáriz regarding the sexual abuse complaint from one of Monsalve's subordinates.

This situation cost Peña's second-in-command, Prefect Cristina Vilches, her position; Vilches was in charge of intelligence and had over 30 years in the institution. The case involving her son in a drug trafficking charge in Valdivia Just as things began to calm down, a new problem arose, but it only generated internal noise during the first months: in March 2025, Prefect Peña found a bag containing drugs, marijuana, and cocaine at the front of her house in Valdivia, as revealed by The Clinic last December. The detective, with extensive experience in intelligence and counterintelligence, reported the incident but suspected it could be a setup against her due to the events involving Manuel Monsalve and the ongoing trial against her former boss, Director Héctor Espinosa, who was being investigated at that time for money laundering.

To her surprise, after the initial investigations by the PDI in Valdivia, it was confirmed that the drugs were allegedly a purchase made by her son from a local dealer. It was even established that this was a transaction he frequently engaged in, as there were banking transactions exceeding one million pesos. In addition to Peña's disappointment, these findings generated "a lot of noise" within the institution.

Not only due to the conflict of interest the case created, but also because the detective who investigated the case in t…

"The General Director was informed of the complaint made by Deputy Director Consuelo Peña to the Public Ministry, as was appropriate, immediately after the incident occurred," they stated. After The Clinic's publication, then-Minister of Security, Luis Cordero, requested a complete report on the complaint from the head of the PDI, who insisted that there was nothing compromising Prefect Consuelo Peña in her duties and that her explanations were within the framework of institutional integrity. However, when the new Minister of Security, Trinidad Steinert, took office, those responses were reportedly not sufficient.

According to "BíoBio," the new secretary of state sought to obtain information about this case, which is under reserve in the Regional Prosecutor's Office of Valdivia. In the same news article, it was reported that Steinert wanted more details, as she had a problem with Prefect Consuelo Peña when she was in charge of the Regional Prosecutor's Office of Tarapacá in the context of a money laundering investigation involving a clan of Chinese merchants from Zofri. Upon arriving at Teatinos 220, the former regional prosecutor sent a letter to Director Cerna requesting a detailed report on the detectives who participated in that investigation and the reasons for their transfers, which could be involved in administrative sanctions or some form of irregularities related to the criminal investigation.

Eight days later, Prefect Consuelo Peña was called to retire and replaced by Ricardo Gatica, a specialist in organized crime and intelligence work. Peña's departure has not been explained by either the PDI or the Government, but members of Congress allege that her dismissal was requested by Minister Trinidad Steinert, marking what will be her approach in leading the police forces. The Clinic requested a response from the Ministry of Security, but as of the closing of this report, there was no response.

Nevertheless, it is expected that she will provide an explanation in the Chamber of Deputies, where she was scheduled to appear this afternoon.