A week ago, Venezuelan authorities seized control of a prison that was being run by its captives. The group responsible, “El Tren de Aragua,” is spread across several countries with an extensive criminal record. One of its leaders escaped prison, and authorities are cooperating internationally in his search.
Last week, Tocorón Prison in Venezuela was retaken from a transnational gang called “Tren de Aragua.” The criminal group used the prison as a hub for its operations, and as a complex with amenities for their families, until September 20, when the Venezuelan authorities successfully retook the prison.
As of September 25, a bounty has been placed by the Peruvian government for information on one of the escapees and leaders of the group, Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores.
Tren de Aragua (Aragua Train) was formed in the year 2014 from within the confines of Tocorón Prison, in the State of Aragua. By uniting the captives within the scheme of organized crime, the group was able to leverage their strength to assert control of the prison from the authorities that same year, according to El Comercio.
Many of the captives were able to escape before the raid from the police by building tunnels in advance, including the aforementioned Héctor Guerrero. As of today, the Peruvian Ministry of Interior announced a reward of 500,000 Peruvian soles (133,000 dollars) for information on the fugitive.
Venezuelan regime leader Nicolás Maduro announced that international cooperation is being attempted with the governments of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile to capture Guerrero and other fugitives from Tocorón Prison. He also commended the Venezuelan authorities, saying that they were able to preserve the human rights of the inmates, including families, who remained in the prison during the raid.
Before El Tren de Aragua took control of Tocorón Prison, it was plagued with issues that were not uncommon in Venezuelan prisons. A study by Human Rights Watch in 1998 studied the conditions of six Venezuelan prisons, including the now infamous Tocorón Prison. The prison was allegedly handicapped in terms of personnel, lacked provisions like space and food for inmates and had incidents of violence from inmates and prison guards.
Several news outlets have reported on the luxurious installations of the Tocorón Prison enjoyed by the enriched captives. Peru21 as well as other publications reported that the captives had built a swimming pool, a baseball stadium, a zoo, a discotheque as well as two-story houses. This was paid for via the group’s illegal business dealings which included extortion. Their dealings and their use of the prison as a hub led to the installation of a bank with banknotes.
