Tren de Aragua criminal gang coordinator arrested in Colombian capital of Bogotá

Colombian authorities reported this Thursday the Bogotá arrest of the logistics coordinator of the Tren de Aragua transnational gang. The man, known only by the alias Erick, is very close to Giovanny San Vicente, who heads the criminal group in the Colombian capital.

“This person arrived in Bogotá seven years ago, started working at the entrance of a nightclub and became one of the logistics coordinators of the Tren de Aragua,” Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said during an Oct. 24 press conference.

Galán added that in the investigation the role of this individual in the criminal gang was established “and an operation was carried out after a long investigation (...) that made it possible to collect all the evidence to determine his responsibility in this network.”

Erick’s arrest comes amid the arrest of five individuals detained on Oct. 16 as alleged participants in a Sept. 10 grenade attack that left two dead and several injured in the Bogotá locality of Kennedy.

Galán hailed that arrest as a victory “in the fight against extortion in Bogotá,” suggesting that the attack was related to racketeering, adding that those detainees were also being charged with homicide, drug and weapons trafficking.

Bogotá Metropolitan Commander Police Daniel Gualdrón said earlier this month that there have been 178 extortion related arrests this year, 32 of the detainees belong to the Tren de Aragua.

“These gangs seek to replace the leaders who are captured, but we are managing to reach them faster and faster so that they cannot reorganize,” Galán explained.

Cayó ‘Eryk’, jefe logístico y
financiero del ‘Tren de Aragua’ y
mano derecha de ‘Giovanny’, principal cabecilla de esta organización.

Fueron más de 50 interceptaciones para dar con su paradero. Tenía su centro de operaciones en falsos sindicatos en Santa Fe y Antonio Nariño. pic.twitter.com/9LmWiFQxCR

— Secretaría de Seguridad BOG (@SeguridadBOG) October 24, 2024

The Tren de Aragua criminal gang is identified by Bogotá authorities is considered the most powerful in Venezuela, according to studies by the U.S. government and InSight Crime research organization.

It is also one of the primary groups responsible for the increase in violence in Bogota, mainly with robberies, extortion of merchants and homicides.

The criminal gang was founded in Venezuelan prisons and has since spread its influence throughout several Latin American countries, such as Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Chile, where law enforcement officials accuse it of engaging in multiple kidnappings and homicides amid drug trafficking and extortion operations.

The U.S. Embassy in Colombia and the National Police of Colombia have collectively offered a total of $12 million for the capture of three of the leaders of the criminal organization.

Those three leaders have been identified as Giovanny San Vicente, Yohan José Romero, alias Johan Petrica, and Héctor Guerrero Flores, alias Niño Guerrero.

The rewards offered for the three aforementioned gang leaders are three, four and five million dollars are offered, respectively.

The three wanted men are accused of conspiracy to commit crimes, narcotics and human trafficking, and money laundering.

This same Thursday it was learned that U.S. authorities identified some 600 migrants with possible links to the criminal organization, which continues to spread throughout the region.