This Thursday, the Minister of the Interior and Justice of Venezuela, Remigio Ceballos, spoke about the military operation in the Tocorón prison, which was under the control of the criminal group Tren de Aragua. There, 11,000 members of the armed forces were deployed to regain control of the penitentiary center. After the intervention, the Venezuelan government headed by Minister Ceballos delivered few results after what happened.
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The Venezuelan Government confirmed this Thursday that a member of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) died after a military intervention carried out this Wednesday in the Tocorón prison, in the Venezuelan state that receives the same name.
Additionally, the Minister of the Interior and Justice of Venezuela, Remigio Ceballos, assured in a press conference that the agent who died had the rank of major in the Bolivarian National Guard. He assured that he “saved his life in this very important work” without giving more details about how he lost his life.
Ceballos also stated that during the operation four security agents were detained without specifying what type of armed force they belonged to; What is known is that they were “involved with some of these events,” referring to the criminal networks that, according to the government, inhabited and operated the penitentiary center.
The Government of Venezuela assured that it prevented a “massive escape” in the Tocorón prison, the strong operation that included the police and military participation of 11,000 security agents, along with the mobilization of armored vehicles.
What was the objective of the operation? Control the detention center that was, according to Venezuelan authorities, in the hands of the criminal group Tren de Aragua. “We have prevented a massive escape and we have controlled all those deprived of liberty and we have also captured some people with weapons,” Minister Ceballos said for Venezuelan state television.
In the prison, the leaders of the transnational criminal bank operated and adapted the place with spaces totally removed from the purpose of the penitentiary: swimming pools, baseball fields, a zoo, bars, casinos and even a nightclub inside.
Identified inmates
This Thursday Ceballos also assured that the Venezuelan government identified “more than 60 individuals who are members of a large criminal gang,” in reference to El Tren de Aragua.
“We have more than 60 individuals belonging to a large criminal gang that is part of structures that moved in all parts of the country. That is, we are obtaining high-level information of a criminalistic nature that will provide us with matters of interest for the future captures that we are going to make,” said Ceballos.
However, the Venezuelan politician did not confirm the status of those identified: Ceballos did not confirm whether they were detained, transferred to another detention center or if they are escapees.
Inside the prison, many of the inmates were victims of “a kind of slavery” carried out by “many of those responsible” who were captured in the operation on September 20, according to Ceballos. Despite this, he did not confirm whether the abusers had escaped after subduing their companions and were captured during the deployment of the armed forces this Wednesday. It is also not ruled out whether he was referring to security agents who worked inside the prison.
Without giving more details, Ceballos assured that the Tocorón prison was vacated and the inmates were transferred to the regions where their judicial processes are being held, without knowing the new place of confinement.
Something premeditated?
The Aragua Train is a criminal group that emerged in 2014 and that in 2017, largely due to the migration crisis in the country, spread to several Latin American countries such as Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia. The members of the organization operated from the penitentiary.
During the prison intervention, war weapons were found: long weapons, snipers, grenades, explosives, rocket launchers and various ammunition. Ceballos stated that they will carry out investigations to determine the criminal, civil and disciplinary responsibilities that may arise; since according to the member of the Venezuelan government, kidnappings, contract killings and computer crimes were planned from the detention center.
At the time that the operation was carried out on September 20, an NGO, the Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP), assured that the military and police intervention “was discussed” with some criminals who played a role as negative leaders of the prison and the prison. Aragua Train.
In a statement, the NGO assured that “as an organization we are in favor of regaining control of the prisons that are under the pranato (criminal leadership), but we do not believe in negotiated takeovers so that the pranes leave and do not pay for the prisoners.” crimes committed”.
From @oveprisiones We urge you to show the faces of the main leaders of the Aragua Train, who were hiding in the Tocorón prison, in order to give peace of mind to the population and guarantee the transparency of the “intervention.” https://t.co/L59qeW0l69
— Obs. V. of Prisons (@oveprisiones) September 21, 2023
Referring to “sources close to the military operation,” the observatory assured that it was told “that many of the prisoners” escaped through tunnels and took shelter in nearby mountains.
In addition, the OVP asked the government to “show” the faces of the leaders of the Aragua Train in order to “give peace of mind to the population and guarantee transparency.” Likewise, he requested that the “real” number of the prison’s prison population be made public, as well as the number of escapees and injuries during the operation.
With EFE
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