Venezuelan gang boss escapes prison before 11,000 soldiers surround him

The gang leader who controlled a prison in Venezuela has fled the country before 11,000 soldiers stormed the facility and retook control.

Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang that once controlled Tocoron prison and turned it into a base for international criminal activities, escaped after receiving a tip-off about the Venezuelan military's crackdown, the Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVV) said on September 22.

According to OVV, Flores and other top gang members escaped from prison and fled abroad a week before the raid. OVV did not specify which countries Flores and the Tren de Aragua leaders had traveled to.

Venezuelan authorities announced on September 20 that they had regained control of the Tocoron prison in the northern state of Aragua after a year-long military crackdown. The Interior Ministry said law enforcement and 11,000 military personnel had dismantled a “den of conspiracy and crime.” One soldier was killed in the operation.

Authorities seized Bitcoin mining machines, grenade launchers, machine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition from the prison. About 6,000 inmates have been transferred to other facilities as authorities restructure Tocoron Prison.

Members of the Venezuelan National Guard sit in an armored vehicle in front of Tocoron prison in Aragua state on September 20. Photo: AFP — Members of the Venezuelan National Guard sit in an armored vehicle in front of Tocoron prison in Aragua state on September 20. Photo: *AFP*

Interior Minister Remigio Ceballos also said that tunnels had been discovered that allowed inmates to escape from the prison, but did not say how many had escaped. Four prison guards were arrested and charged with complicity.

"We want to know how these guards managed to get grenade launchers and weapons into the prison without the complicity of many other people," OVV stressed.

Tren de Aragua is a gang involved in many crimes in Venezuela such as kidnapping, robbery, drug trafficking, extortion and has influence in neighboring countries. According to Risquez, the gang has about 5,000 members and emerged 10 years ago.

Tocoron is where Flores is serving a 17-year sentence for murder and drug trafficking. Hector's influence is so great that the inmate is said to have freely entered and exited the prison, according to Venezuelan investigative journalist Ronna Risquez.

Local media reported that the Tren de Aragua gang had taken control of Tocoron prison since the kingpin was sentenced in February 2018 and had turned it into a party den. The prison was converted into a hotel with amenities such as a swimming pool, nightclub and zoo.

Huyen Le (According to AFP )

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