The alleged chief of Venezuelan felony gang Tren de Aragua’s armed wing has been captured in a joint operation involving Colombia, the US and the UK.
Colombia’s Nationwide Police stated José Antonio Márquez Morales – generally known as Caracas – was arrested within the metropolis of Valledupar and alleged that he performed a central position in managing the logistics and funds for the group for extortion, drug trafficking, and smuggling.
Tren de Aragua has been focused by US President Donald Trump who declared it a terrorist organisation and deported greater than 250 individuals he claimed have been members of the gang to a jail in El Salvador.
Colombia’s Nationwide Police Director, Carlos Fernando Triana Beltrán stated Mr Márquez Morales was the topic of an Interpol Pink Discover which is a request to police worldwide to detain somebody pending extradition.
Information of the arrest emerged amid persevering with tensions between the US and Venezuela over the Trump administration’s anti-drug-trafficking efforts in Latin America.
It has deployed warships to the Caribbean and final month, bombed vessels which Trump claimed have been carrying medicine, apparently travelling from Venezuela to the US.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of being in league with drug cartels and is providing a reward for info resulting in his seize to $50m (£37m).
Maduro has strongly rejected Washington’s accusations and has defended his authorities’s actions in opposition to drug trafficking.
