On Thursday, Spanish National Police apprehended six individuals linked to the notorious terrorist group Torren de Aragua, known for their involvement in a series of violent armed heists that resulted in the theft of millions of euros in assets and cash.
These accused members face charges including participation in a criminal organization, violent robbery, illegal detention, fraud, and offenses against public health.
According to a statement from the police, this operation was the culmination of a thorough investigation that revealed the suspects’ connections to the Torren de Aragua faction, which specializes in aggressive thefts.
The inquiry started in August 2025, prompted by a violent break-in at a private residence near Madrid. During that incident, thieves armed with handguns and advanced jamming devices made off with valuables worth €1.5 million, €200,000 in cash, and €1.3 million in cryptocurrencies.
The six people detained are suspected of being involved in at least three other violent thefts.
Police reports indicate that their latest robbery followed a familiar approach. The gang meticulously selects affluent targets, conducts thorough surveillance, and examines their daily habits to determine the best time to strike. Victims are then violently assaulted, threatened, and sometimes held hostage for extended periods, with firearms used to intimidate them. In one incident, a member of the group shot at a victim, inflicting life-threatening injuries.
Authorities executed a search at a Madrid location associated with the gang, uncovering replica weapons, jamming devices, two sets of false license plates, an assortment of watches and jewelry, over 100 grams of various drugs, multiple mobile phones, and more than €2,700 in cash. The police shared footage of the raid and subsequent arrests on social media.
Established in 2012 by Hector Rustenford Guerrero in Torren de Aragua, this organization evolved from a local gang in Venezuela into a significant transnational criminal network, partly under the protective oversight of the regime of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Their extensive range of illegal activities includes theft, extortion, kidnapping, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, illegal mining, drug trafficking, and cybercrime.
Over the years, the Venezuelan government has repeatedly claimed that Torren de Aragua “does not exist,” alleging that the gang had been “dismantled” during a September 2023 operation at Tocolon prison, which had served as their headquarters.
Inside the prison, the organization had made lavish renovations, creating facilities such as a nightclub, zoo, and swimming pool, while being guarded by the Bolivarian National Guard.
Guerrero faces multiple charges from U.S. authorities and has been on the run since the prison incident.
Following the events at Tocolon in 2023, where the Venezuelan regime emptied the prison, Torren de Aragua expanded its operations beyond Venezuela, establishing criminal activities throughout Latin America, the U.S., and even Spain.
In November, Spanish police arrested thirteen suspected members of Torren de Aragua in a landmark operation. Jason Robert Guerrero Flores, Hector Rustenford Guerrero’s brother, was also detained in March 2024.
