Colombia police arrests 19 alleged members of Venezuelan gang

The mayor of Colombia’s capital Bogota, Claudia Lopez, confirmed that police have arrested 19 alleged members of Tren de Aragua, one of Venezuela’s main criminal gangs.

As detailed by the mayor on her Twitter profile, the detainees have also been seized weapons, drugs and criminal proceeds. «We are not intimidated by organised crime. We fight it and prosecute it for the peace of mind of the citizens,» she said.

«According to information from Colombian investigative and intelligence agencies, these leaders continue to carry out criminal activities in our country and in our city of Bogota, and are responsible for some recent macabre acts of violence,» he said.

Meanwhile, in the last few hours the police and the Technical Investigation Corps of Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office have captured a police lieutenant for his alleged links to the Venezuelan gang.

The captured officer allegedly facilitated the gang’s criminal operations in Kennedy, located in the Capital District of Bogota, one of the capital’s areas most affected by Tren de Aragua’s activity.

The Colombian Minister of Defence, Iván Velásquez, has referred to this latest news and emphasised that the arrest of the police officer confirms that the new government is committed to the fight against institutional corruption.

For Velásquez this news is «a satisfaction» because it is the practical demonstration that «it is real».