The Chilean court in the northern province of Arica issued approximately 560 years' prison sentences for 34 members of Los Gallegos, the local “armed wing” of the Tren de Aragua terrorist organization.
The convicted man, 31 Venezuelan nationals and three Chileans were convicted of multiple charges from illegal associations, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, tricking, murder to murder of others. The ruling concluded almost a year's worth of judicial proceedings: It is reportedly Read the hearing under strong security measures without accessing the press.
The Chilean prosecutor's office described the trial process as “historic” in the media on Thursday. statement And one of the men was informed that they had been given a life sentence for committing two murders, in addition to a 16-year prison sentence for crimes of blackmail and robbery involving illegal associations.
The three men, who further explained, were sentenced to a total of 44, 39 and 32 years for various crimes, with the rest being 541 days to 20 years in prison.
The prosecutor's office said the trial was deemed “most relevant at the national level in the fight against organized crime across borders” against the number of defendants and the number of crimes investigated. The trial includes more than 35 witnesses, including secret agents who infiltrated the group, as well as more than 100 eavesdropped phone recordings, videos and analysis of the gang's own accounting notebooks.
The investigation determined that Los Gallegos established himself in Arica in three stages, deeming the area a place where he commits various crimes and could spread to other parts of Chile. Additionally, Chilean prosecutors were able to link Los Gallegos to Tren de Aragua, with most of the Venezuelan accused sharing “identity or family ties” and committed crimes in accordance with what is called “the cause.”
Like most famous Venezuelan gangs, Tren de Aragua is Planat (“Pranate”) features a unique lexicon and a set of rules. Under the Planato system,Cause” is the name given to the tithe or contribution that gang members make to their respective criminal organizations.
“This is a strong blow to organized crime, but you should not lower your arms. Chilean Regional Prosecutor Mario Carrera said:
Carrera I said The local outlet on Thursday said that the Arica Regional Prosecutor's Office had requested 12 extradition orders from the US, Colombia and Peru against other individuals linked to the group, “In this case, anyone commits a serious crime or other act will be prosecuted not only in the national territory but also in the location where they were found.”
Carrera spoke On Friday morning, along with local radio station ADN, he expressed his satisfaction with the sentence that the prosecutor described as “a cycle closure.”
“In this case, let's remember everything that happened to us from day one, from the way the problem caught us and the way we had to learn who Tren de Aragua was,” Carrera said. “In the beginning, we had to adapt and cooperate with a variety of agencies, including some authorities that were not consistent with what we were experiencing in the area.”
Report Published In May 2024, Los Gallegos showed that it had established its base in Celro Tuño, the unstable Shanti town of Arica, where the state is absent. The local government has discovered the bodies of three men buried under cement in the area. Investigation later determined that the man was tortured by a gang and buried alive.
Chilean newspaper Latercera It has been reported Another trial will begin on Thursday against 12 other Trende Aragua members, including one of the gang's main hitmen, Hernan “Satan” Rande Agarilotti, Hector “Child” Grearro and Carlos “Estrella” Gonzalez, who served as the personal security escort for Grerro, knowledgeable of Trende Aragua leaders, on Tuesday, March 12th.
Gonzalez Vaca also handled Tren de Aragua's international operations at the Chile-Bolivian border and reported directly to Guerrero, who was “incarcerated” at the Tocolon prison in Aragua, Venezuela. Guerrero's whereabouts remained unknown since September 2023, which appears to have disappeared hours before the Venezuelan socialist regime.Attack” Tocolon served as the main headquarters of Tren de Aragua.
Latercera He detailed the fact that Tren de Aragua Cell, under Gonzalez Vaca's control, is engaged in immigrant smuggling, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, and ketamine trafficking. The two men face multiple charges related to murder, aggravated, emergency invitations, urgent threats, robbery by threat, sexual exploitation, drug trafficking, trafficking of people with the aim of repeated smuggling of immigrants, and illegally related charges.
Local prosecutors are demanding two life sentences, another life sentence and 125 years in prison.
Future trials will be telematic “due to the risks of the accused.” Chilean prosecutor Trinidad Steinart explained to La Tercera that it was “to avoid the possibility of a fugitive fleeing or attempts against those who testify.”
“Therefore, victims, civilians and police witnesses will testify online, while defendants, prosecutors and prosecutors will also lead to Teleman,” Steinert said.
Christian K. Calzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
