Venezuelan Extortionists Apprehended in La Serena
On December 6, 2021, a group of four Venezuelan citizens—Franyorkin Aramburu Hernández, Winder Marott Morán, Jhonder Ollarves Berbesi, and Yhoan Martínez González—forcefully entered a residence located on Cantournet Street in La Serena, Chile. Inside, they confronted seven Venezuelan women and one Dominican national, employing intimidation tactics that included the display of two firearms. Their demands were stark: $50,000 per person. Among the weapons, one was a blank-firing gun while the other had been modified to discharge real ammunition. The assailants claimed allegiance to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, asserting their intention to impose a weekly 'tax' of $100,000 on the women, all of whom were migrant sex workers.
The landlord reported the incident to the Police Investigations Department (PDI), prompting a swift response the following Monday. Officers apprehended the extortionists as they exited the apartment. During the arrest, Aramburu was found to possess $400,000 in cash in his back pocket and an additional $350,000 hidden in a notebook.
Legal Proceedings and Controversial Releases
The affected women testified at the PDI station that this incident was not their first encounter with the criminals. According to their accounts, on December 2, two of them were forcibly taken to another location, threatened with a firearm, and this incident was captured by the security cameras of the building. That same afternoon, an individual claiming to be 'El Cachorro del Valle' contacted the residence, identified himself as a member of Tren de Aragua, and warned that they would now assume control over the sex work operations.
While the PDI was able to charge the gang members with intimidation and illegal possession of firearms, the prosecution struggled to establish their affiliation with organized crime due to the women's fear of testifying. Consequently, the gang was sentenced to five years and one day in prison by the Oral Criminal Court of La Serena in August 2022. However, they were not convicted for organized crime or membership in Tren de Aragua, as the prosecution could not substantiate these claims.
Under the administration of José Antonio Kast, three of the convicted members benefited from Justice Ministry decrees issued under the 'Rabat Doctrine', which stipulates that certain categories of convicted criminals cannot be denied benefits based on the severity of their crimes. These decrees resulted in sentence reductions for Aramburu (9 months), Marott (3 months), and Ollarves (3 months), allowing them to be released earlier than anticipated. Despite having previously been denied parole for good behavior, and accumulating violations while incarcerated, these individuals were granted favorable assessments that enabled their release.
The re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Chile and Venezuela on July 30, 2022, was partly motivated by the new Venezuelan administration and the ongoing issues of organized crime affecting both nations. This diplomatic shift was positioned as a means to facilitate the expulsion of foreign criminals, yet it coincided with the signing of decrees that benefited the extortionists from La Serena. While the expulsion of these criminals is currently hindered by administrative issues, the potential for future expulsions remains a contentious topic, especially regarding how the Justice Ministry might handle such cases in the future.
As reported by interferencia.cl.
