Venezuelan Banco Santander executive arrested for money laundering linked to Tren de Aragua in Chile
José Carlos Pérez Asencio, 33, was arrested in Santiago after being linked to an extortion cell of Tren de Aragua. The operation has resulted in 18 detentions so far.
Banco Santander executive arrested for alleged links to Venezuelan criminal gang
The Police Investigations Bureau (PDI) arrested on Tuesday José Carlos Pérez Asencio, a Venezuelan national and banking executive, as part of an investigation into money laundering for the benefit of an extortion cell of Tren de Aragua, according to elmostrador.cl.
The arrest was carried out during a raid at the offices of Banco Santander located at the intersection of Agustinas and Miraflores streets in central Santiago. The operation was led by the Southern Metropolitan Public Prosecutor's Office with the support of the PDI, and aims to dismantle an arm of the transnational criminal organisation dedicated to extortion and illegal movement of funds.
Transfers from Chile to Colombia
The investigation began following the detection of money transfers from Chile to Colombia. According to information gathered by investigators, these resources came from extortion payments collected from owners of nightclubs, mainly in the Bellavista sector.
According to information published by Ciper and cited by elmostrador.cl, Pérez Asencio allegedly facilitated the opening and use of bank accounts at various institutions—including Banco Falabella and Scotiabank—to receive funds linked to the organisation and incorporate them into the formal financial circuit. Investigators claim that these operations would have spanned between 2022 and 2025.
The Public Prosecutor's hypothesis indicates that the organisation managed to infiltrate banking mechanisms to move and launder resources obtained illegally, which has generated concern among authorities regarding a possible penetration of criminal structures into the formal financial system.
Profile of the detainee
Pérez Asencio is 33 years old and has a background in the financial sector. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked as a "Recovery Executive" at Banco Santander since 2019. The same profile lists him as a "credit specialist" at Banco de Venezuela since 2012.
Operation with 18 detentions and international scope
The arrest of the executive is part of a broader operation that has so far resulted in 18 people being arrested. The investigation points to a Tren de Aragua cell that operated under the guise of an events production company and allegedly forced owners of nightclubs to temporarily cede control of their establishments for parties where tickets and drugs were sold.
Part of the funds collected were sent to Colombia, where Carlos "El Bobby" Gómez remains imprisoned, identified by the Public Prosecutor's Office as one of the leaders of the organisation. The proceedings included raids at prison facilities in Chile and Colombia, in addition to operations at residences in different regions of the country.
Response from Banco Santander
Following news of the operation, Banco Santander reported that it has cooperated with the proceedings requested by the authorities and reiterated its policy of "zero tolerance" towards conduct that violates the law or current regulations. The entity added that it will adopt appropriate measures if individual responsibilities are established.
Source: Google News VE — Crime