Venezuela said it had deployed more than 11,000 members of its security forces. (Representative)
Caracas, Venezuela:
Venezuela said Wednesday it has deployed more than 11,000 members of its security forces in an operation to tackle gangs in one of the country’s most violent prisons.
Tocoron prison in the northern state of Aragua is run by a powerful gang, which oversees facilities including a zoo, swimming pool and gambling halls, according to an investigative journalist recently interviewed by AFP.
In a statement, the government said the operation was underway to dismantle and end “organized crime gangs and other criminal networks” operating from Tocoron.
Tocoron is the headquarters of Venezuela’s most powerful local gang, Tren de Aragua, which is involved in crime across the country and has spread its tentacles to neighboring countries.
According to a study by Venezuelan journalist Ronna Risquez, the gang has about 5,000 members.
Tren de Aragua was founded ten years ago and is involved in kidnappings, robberies, drug trafficking, prostitution and extortion. It is also involved in illegal gold mining activities.
The think tank InSight Crime also says it is a major player in the field of migrant smuggling.
Ronna Risquez told AFP that the gang “took advantage” of Venezuela’s economic and political crises over the past decade to expand their activities, and now has a presence in at least eight other Latin American countries.
She said Tocoron is fully owned by the gang.
‘The men I saw inside with weapons are prisoners belonging to the organization. They guard the prison, but not for the state.’
She described the prison as a “hotel” for the gang leaders, with a bank, baseball field, restaurant and even a disco club.
According to local media, the gang’s leader is Hector Guerrero Flores, who has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for murder and drug trafficking.
Still, it appears he comes and goes from prison at will, Risquez said.
According to the Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP), the country’s prisons as a whole are more than 50 percent overcrowded, with poor detention conditions.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
