'Prison with Swimming Pool': Venezuela boasts regaining control of hijacked prison

The Venezuelan government extended an invitation to journalists to visit the Tocoron Penitentiary Center in the Aragua state last Saturday. This comes shortly after security forces retook control of the prison, which had been under the sway of criminal gangs for many years. Tocoron prison, one of the largest in the nation, had previously been directly administered by inmates, with many belonging to the formidable transnational criminal gang known as the ‘Tren de Aragua.’ This gang takes its name from the Aragua state, where Tocoron is situated, as reported by the Venezuelan Information Ministry. Last Wednesday, Venezuelan security forces, including the Army and National Guard, executed a special operation involving over 11,000 personnel to regain control of the prison complex. Venezuela’s Interior Minister, Remigio Ceballos, hailed the operation as a “complete success.” During the media tour on Saturday, Ceballos disclosed that security forces had apprehended 80 high-ranking members of the Tren de Aragua gang after securing the prison. Ceballos categorically refuted media claims that the government had negotiated with gang leaders prior to the operation, stating, “We have completely dismantled the leadership group of the so-called ‘Tren de Aragua.’ They are no longer in control,” as conveyed to CNN en Español. Journalists were shown areas where inmates had constructed a swimming pool and multiple eateries within the prison premises in recent years. Authorities released images of weapons confiscated from inmates after the raid, including automatic rifles, machine guns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. According to the Venezuelan Information Ministry, thousands of inmates were relocated to other prisons following the operation. However, family members of inmates contested these assertions, asserting that they have had no contact with their loved ones since the day of the operation. “I haven’t received any updates since all this began last Wednesday,” remarked Claribel Rojas, the sister of a Tocoron prison inmate, during an interview with CNNe on Saturday. “I came here yesterday and today, but no one provides any information.” While it is not unusual for criminal gangs to wield influence within Venezuelan prisons, the Tocoron Penitentiary had garnered notoriety within the country and, in recent years, had come to symbolize the Venezuelan government’s struggle to regain control. The Tren de Aragua stands as Venezuela’s most formidable criminal organization. Over recent years, it has expanded its operations into Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina, as reported by the US State Department.