Another leader of the criminal gang ‘Tren de Aragua’ is captured in Colombia

The leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal group in Chile, Carlos Gómez, was arrested this Saturday in Colombia in an operation in which the police institutions of both countries intervened, announced Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

“In the early hours of today (…) Carlos Gómez, alias Bobby, head of the multinational gang Tren de Aragua in Chile, was captured”said the president through his account on the social network X.

He added that “Police collaboration with Chilean and Colombian intelligence achieved this great success in the security of Chileans and Colombians.”

The arrest took place in the municipality of Los Patios, in Norte de Santander. Police broke into an apartment to find Gómez with a woman in a bedroom, according to a video released by Petro.

While an officer pointed a gun at him, the man, who was lying on a bed, turned face down and complied with the order. “hands behind the neck.”

The Chilean president Gabriel Boric republished Petro’s message about the capture of alias Bobby in X.
“Joint work of our States of Chile/Colombia and our Police. We advance together in security, firm against organized crime”he expressed.

The Chilean Police indicated on the same social network: “A crucial blow was struck against organized crime (…) This arrest represents significant progress in the fight against transnational crime and reaffirms the commitment of the authorities to guarantee the security of our communities.”

Gómez, wanted since 2022 by Chile for kidnapping, homicide and drug trafficking, is considered the right-hand man of the top leader of the Aragua Train, the Venezuelan Héctor Guerrero, known as “Niño Guerrero.”

The feared organization, of Venezuelan origin, sows terror in several countries in America. The Aragua Train was born in the Venezuelan prison of Tocorón, in the state of Aragua (central-north), and began to sound strongly about ten years ago.

With about 5,000 members, It is dedicated to extortion, hitmen, drug trafficking, prostitution, human trafficking and even illegal mining.

It extended its tentacles to other nations such as Colombia, Peru and Chile, and also to the United States, where authorities have offered million-dollar rewards for information leading to the capture of its ringleaders.

AFP