Murder trial of former lieutenant Ojeda to expose links between Tren de Aragua and political persecution
A former Venezuelan prosecutor warns that a mass trial in Chile against members of Tren de Aragua could reveal whether the crime was ordered for political motives.
Chile conviction opens debate over political motive in Ojeda case
Chilean justice has sentenced Maickel Villegas Rodríguez, identified as a member of Tren de Aragua, to 20 years in prison for the kidnapping and murder of former Venezuelan lieutenant Ronald Ojeda. According to correodelcaroni.com, this is the first conviction handed down through an oral trial in this case. From 20 October, another 16 accused persons will face a mass trial in Chile; the Chilean Prosecutor's Office has indicated that it is keeping the investigation open regarding the possible political motive behind the crime.
For Rolnar Sanabria, a former prosecutor against Organised Crime on the Colombian-Venezuelan border and author of Tren de Aragua: Anatomy of a Transnational Criminal Empire, the upcoming trial is decisive. "This is the most important case to understand Tren de Aragua. This is not just a homicide: it is the question of whether a criminal gang was used to pursue an opponent outside Venezuela. What comes out of that trial can change the way the world sees this organisation," he declared.
Sanabria also highlighted the deterrent effect of accumulated convictions in several countries. "For years, Tren de Aragua operated with the confidence that no one would bring them to justice. Today its members are being convicted in courts in various countries. That is what really weakens a criminal organisation: conviction, not just capture," the former prosecutor affirmed.
Chile: sexual exploitation of Venezuelan migrant
In parallel, Chilean justice has handed down a 30-year sentence against the alias Burrito, leader of a cell that sexually exploited a 16-year-old Venezuelan teenager. The young woman had arrived in the country under false pretences with a job offer. When she tried to escape, members of the gang shot her in the feet, a punishment the organisation internally calls "pateo".
"The first victims of Tren de Aragua are Venezuelans themselves: women and teenagers lured with promises of employment who end up exploited far from their families. That is why pursuing this organisation is also about protecting migrants," Sanabria explained.
United States: 1,296 detained between 2025 and 2026
The United States Department of Homeland Security reported that between January 2025 and 8 October 2026, 1,296 suspected members of Tren de Aragua were arrested in that country, of which approximately 350 have been charged with federal crimes.
Sanabria, however, called for caution regarding these figures. "The figure is important, but a detention is not a conviction. What needs to be tracked is how many of those cases end in a sentence," he warned.
Venezuela: the border as refuge
On 15 October, a suspected member of Tren de Aragua was detained under the international Simón Bolívar bridge when attempting to cross into Venezuela fleeing from the Metropolitan Police of Cúcuta. The individual was carrying a firearm, drugs and pamphlets with threats from the organisation, and is identified as an extortion collector in La Parada, Villa del Rosario.
The former prosecutor knows that border corridor well. "When Colombia pursues them, they seek refuge on the other side of the border. If Venezuela continues to be the place they flee to, everything done outside remains incomplete. Tren de Aragua was born within a Venezuelan prison, and without serious investigation inside, what is dismantled outside can be rebuilt," Sanabria argued.
The former prosecutor concluded with a distinction he considers fundamental: "Criminals must be captured and tried. But the vast majority of Venezuelans, within and outside the country, are honest people who deserve respect and protection".
Source: Google News VE — Crime