Aug 26, 12:03 AM

Zulia Crime Clans Fill Void as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Retreats

Venezuela’s once-dominant Tren de Aragua criminal network is losing ground at home after authorities dismantled its logistical hub in Tocorón prison, forcing many of its satellite factions to dissolve and confining the gang’s presence largely to Aragua and Bolívar states. The group’s reduced capacity follows a series of high-profile interventions, including the killing of an alleged member of the splinter group Tren del Llano in Guárico, and growing scrutiny of kidnapping operations linked to its remaining cells. Security officials and independent investigators say the vacuum is being filled by lesser-known Venezuelan crime organizations, particularly clans originating in the western state of Zulia. These groups have quietly expanded across Latin America, forging extortion, human-trafficking and homicide rackets from Colombia to Chile. The Meleán clan, which police estimate has more than 600 members, illustrates the trend: its alleged leader, Yeferson Nava Jiménez, was apprehended in May in an upscale Medellín district under an Interpol red notice after multiple cosmetic surgeries intended to conceal his identity. Colombian authorities report that Zulia gangs are operating in at least eight departments, while investigations in Argentina and Chile have tied Venezuelan nationals to money-laundering schemes and targeted killings of migrant communities. Analysts note that many of these outfits were previously misidentified as Tren de Aragua cells, masking a broader regional shift in Venezuela’s organized-crime landscape. With the country’s economic crisis shrinking domestic criminal revenues, officials warn that cross-border expansion by Zulia-based groups is likely to accelerate even as Tren de Aragua’s influence ebbs.

#Venezuela #Tren de Aragua #Tocorón #Aragua #Bolívar #Tren del Llano #Guárico #Venezuelan #Zulia #Latin America #Colombia #Chile #Meleán #Yeferson Nava Jiménez #Medellín #Interpol #Colombian #Argentina

Written with ChatGPT .

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Zulia Crime Clans Fill Void as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Retreats

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