Venezuela: Intervention in the Tocorón Prison, From Where the “Aragua Train” Operates

The attorney general of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, said this Thursday that the armed intervention in the Tocorón prison, located in the state of Aragua (north), where the Government deployed 11,000 security force agents, has been a "devastating blow" to organized crime.

"The blow of the dismantling of what the Tocorón detention center meant is a devastating blow, which implies a more progressive decrease in crime in Venezuela," said the prosecutor during an event in the state of Anzoátegui (northeast).

According to the Government, several criminal networks operated from Tocorón, where the transnational criminal organization "Tren de Aragua" was formed , spread throughout Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia.

Read also: Why Does the Tren de Aragua Feed Xenophobia Towards Venezuelan Migrants?

Saab considered that with this intervention, which included the eviction of those deprived of liberty, the "derailment" of the criminal gang "Tren de Aragua" occurred, without it being known until now how many members of this group were identified within the prison.

"You can feel the climate in the country of peaceful stability, political stability, and citizen coexistence," added the prosecutor after ensuring that, since 2018, the homicide rate in the country has decreased by 65%, and by 38% actions of human rights violations.

What the intervention left

The Minister of the Interior and Justice, Remigio Ceballos, confirmed this Thursday that a member of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) died and four other members of the security forces were detained during the prison intervention.

He assured that the investigations will continue to determine the civil, criminal and disciplinary responsibilities that may arise, since – he reiterated – kidnappings, contract killings and computer crimes were planned from the prison.