The Venezuelan government announced that it had regained control of the Tocorón prisonfor years under the complete control of the powerful gang Train from Aragua. As reported by the BBC, the operation saw the involvement of approximately 11 thousand men between soldiers and police, with which the president Nicolas Maduro he congratulated: “You have restored order with quick and clean action.” It seems that there was only one victim, a major who died after hitting his head on the door of an armored vehicle.
Before maxi-blitz prisoners enjoyed total freedom within the penitentiary institution, which functioned like a small city. In addition to being free of any restrictions on movement, the prisoners (more in name than in fact) could benefit from amenities such as a pool, restaurantsil nightclub “Tokyo” is a small zoo, with guests flamingos and an ostrich. The list of services offered by Tocorón also included a betting center for horse racing inside the prison, sort of bank to apply for loans, a baseball field and even aarea dedicated to the little ones. The families of many “prisoners”, in fact, had moved inside the institution to be close to their loved ones. Furthermore, inside, the security forces found motorcycles, televisions and microwaves, as well as automatic weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Source: BBC
Tocorón had become almost a luxury hotel, better supplied than the rest of the country. In the worst moments of the economic crisis in Venezuela, many went there to find basic necessities that were impossible to find elsewhere. This is all thanks to the “generosity” of the Tren de Aragua gang, the most powerful in the nation, which had made the prison its command center.
This criminal organization used Tocorón as a focal point of a net human and drug trafficking, prostitution and extortion extended to many South American countries, such as Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Chile. The government, through the Minister of Defense, declared that it had completely dismantled the gang, arresting its most important members. Many, however, doubt that the Tren de Aragua was destroyed. Its supreme leader, Hector Guerrero Floresmanaged to escape and of all the inmates inside the prison, only 80 ended up in handcuffs.
Because of this Caracas announced that the “cleaning” operation will also have a second phase, in which all the gang members who escaped the maxi-blitz will be captured. A statement that several observers considered unlikely to be credible, also in light of the essentially peaceful conduct of the Tocorón eviction. A detail, this, which could be an indication of the fact that the authorities have made a deal agreement with the Tren de Aragua before the “assault” on the prison.
2023-09-24 16:25:02
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