Chilean Prosecutor names Diosdado Cabello as responsible for the murder of Ronald Ojeda
Regional Prosecutor Héctor Barros claims that Cabello negotiated with Tren de Aragua for the kidnapping and murder of the Venezuelan ex-military officer who was sheltering in Santiago in February 2024.
Chilean Prosecutor's Office points to Cabello following more than two years of investigation into the Ojeda case
The Chilean Prosecutor's Office has again named Diosdado Cabello as the presumed person responsible for arranging the kidnapping and murder of Venezuelan ex-military officer Ronald Ojeda, which occurred in Santiago in February 2024. This was reported by ntn24.com based on statements from regional prosecutor Héctor Barros.
Barros clarified that, after more than two years of investigation, the evidence gathered indicates that Cabello would have negotiated with members of Tren de Aragua to carry out the operation against Ojeda, who was living in Chile under refugee status after leaving Venezuela.
"Who from the Venezuelan government? According to the evidence we have in the investigation, it is Diosdado Cabello," the prosecutor stated in remarks to Noticias Caracol.
WhatsApp messages and statements as support
According to Barros, the Prosecutor's Office has witness statements and WhatsApp messages incorporated into the case file that, in the investigators' view, support the hypothesis that Cabello coordinated directly with the criminal organisation. "This is ordered by Diosdado Cabello and he is the one who ultimately negotiates with the Tren de Aragua organisation," the prosecutor added.
The evidence also points to the existence of a payment for arranging the crime. The investigative hypothesis holds that part of the money was delivered at the start of the operation and the remainder upon completion, although the prosecutor himself acknowledged that there are contradictory accounts as to whether the second payment actually went through. The exact amount and precise method of payment are aspects that have not yet been able to be established.
Infiltration, escape and death in Santiago
According to the Chilean Prosecutor's Office and journalistic investigation by Noticias Caracol, Ojeda participated alongside other opponents and ex-military officers in meetings in Cúcuta linked to a plan against the Venezuelan regime. According to prosecutors, the group was infiltrated, which resulted in an operation to locate its members.
Ojeda managed to escape and arrived in Chile, where he obtained protection as a refugee. In February 2024 he was kidnapped from his residence in Santiago. His body was found days later buried beneath a concrete structure.
First oral trial underway against accused Tren de Aragua member
Chilean justice has kept processes open against members of Tren de Aragua and their associated networks for this crime. In September 2026, the first oral trial began against Maickel David Villegas Rodríguez, accused of having participated in the operation. The Prosecutor's Office sought a sentence of 20 years' imprisonment for him.
Source: Google News CL — Crime