Shivangi Sinha
Chile’s Caso Relojes was a major investigation into a network accused of stealing luxury watches and jewelry and trafficking them through an organized resale operation. Jeweler Estrella Dinamarca emerged as one of its central figures, with investigators accusing her of having an alleged role in major operations. She was accused of playing a leading role, receiving stolen watches and jewelry and arranging their resale through buyers and intermediaries. Netflix’s documentary ‘High End: The Watch Theft Ring’ (originally titled ‘Alta gama: El caso relojes’) features her first interview since her prosecution, offering an important opportunity to hear her perspective on the case.
Estrella Dinamarca Started Her Jewelry Business at Her Daughter’s School
Estrella Dinamarca recalled growing up in Malloa in what she described as a happy family. Her mother was Roman Catholic, while her father was Romanian and came from a very different world. She remembered being fascinated by him, particularly by the tricks he performed, including allegedly making wine appear from trees. However, when he eventually left the family, Estrella said she and her mother were left feeling abandoned. She decided then that she would never depend on another man. She moved to Santiago with her young daughter, Carla Venegas. Her entry into jewelry began at one of Carla’s school functions, where she suggested making necklaces with children’s names as jewelry pieces. The idea quickly caught on, attracting orders from children at her daughter’s school and neighboring schools. What began as a small initiative soon developed into her jewelry business.
Estrella eventually opened a shop called Galería Santo Domingo, which initially operated as a simple buying-and-selling business. She explained that word had spread about her knowledge of jewelry, and soon small-time thieves and criminals began approaching her to sell stolen pieces. In 2003, she was convicted of receiving stolen property, followed by a 2006 conviction for being an accomplice to robbery. She served approximately a year in prison. In the documentary, Estrella claimed that her time behind bars helped her establish connections with a wider network, and her clientele gradually became more high-end. It was through these connections that she said she allegedly met Marco Antonio López, better known as Parived, and allegedly began doing business with him.
In the documentary, Estrella is described as the head of a large-scale operation. In 2017, while returning from what she referred to as one of her “vacations” (essentially business trips), she was stopped at Santiago Airport. She revealed that she had concealed large quantities of jewelry in five or six bags, placing them in different locations. However, she said she managed to speak with the authorities and was not charged at the time. Unbeknownst to her, the incident would eventually trigger the investigation into Caso Relojes. Her phone was subsequently tapped, and investigators recorded her conversations as they began piecing together the network. In the documentary, Estrella also accused Parived of issuing bad cheques in his own name and that of his wife, Tonka Tomicic, to her.
Estrella Dinamarca Remains Entangled in Legal Proceedings Today
In January 2023, the investigation reached a major turning point when police carried out simultaneous search warrants at 36 properties, including Estrella Dinamarca’s. She was formally charged in February 2023 with money laundering, illicit association, smuggling, receiving stolen goods, customs-related offenses and tax violations. Prosecutors accused her of helping smuggle stolen watches and luxury jewelry from the US and Europe into Chile for resale. They also said that she allegedly sent pieces to jewelers to be altered or melted down to conceal their origins.
Estrella’s lawyers, however, have denied that she was the mastermind of a criminal network or bore significant responsibility for its activities. Her final legal outcome remains unclear, and she has said that she is still caught up in court proceedings, possibly under probation. Keeping a relatively low profile, Estrella believes she was treated unfairly in the legal aftermath. Acknowledging that she is not the “perfect victim,” she maintains that her responsibility was no greater than that of others who, in her view, escaped accountability.
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