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🇻🇪 Venezuela /Crime & Justice

Chile bolsters strategy against Tren de Aragua amid rising kidnappings

From El Nacional · (8m ago) Spanish Critical tone

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Chile is intensifying its strategy against the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua due to a rise in extortion-related kidnappings.
  • Authorities are concerned about the shift in victim profile, now including merchants and businesspeople without criminal ties.
  • The government has established a new Observatory for Kidnappings to enhance prevention and coordination among institutions combating the crime.

Chile is facing a significant challenge with the increasing presence and activity of the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization that has dramatically altered the landscape of organized crime in the country. The recent surge in kidnappings, particularly those targeting ordinary citizens and business owners, has prompted an urgent government response.

the kidnappings doubled with the irruption of the Tren de Aragua.

— Hassel BarrientosHassel Barrientos, head of the Antisecuestro (Anti-kidnapping) unit of the Investigative Police of Chile, explains the dramatic increase in kidnappings attributed to the criminal group.

The establishment of the Observatory for Kidnappings signifies a serious commitment to addressing this escalating threat. This new body aims to improve intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation, and preventative measures, recognizing that the nature of these crimes requires a coordinated and robust approach. The shift from targeting individuals with links to illicit activities to ordinary citizens highlights the expanding reach and audacity of these criminal factions.

In the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, there were about 19 cases annually until 2021, while in 2025 the figure rose to 63, of which 37 corresponded to extortion kidnappings.

— Hassel BarrientosHassel Barrientos provides specific statistics on the rise of kidnappings in the Santiago region.

The article from El Nacional rightly points out the alarming statistics, with kidnappings in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago more than tripling between 2021 and 2025. This dramatic increase, directly linked to the Tren de Aragua's operations, underscores the urgency of the situation. The fact that some operations are coordinated from abroad, even from prisons in other countries, adds another layer of complexity to law enforcement efforts.

It was in 2022 when we observed a completely different dynamic.

— Hassel BarrientosHassel Barrientos describes the shift in the modus operandi of the criminal groups.

Furthermore, the case of Ronald Ojeda, a Venezuelan military officer kidnapped and murdered in Santiago, has brought a political dimension to the issue, suggesting potential motivations beyond mere extortion. This case has heightened concerns and likely influenced the government's heightened alert. As El Nacional reports, the dismantling of various "franchise" cells of the Tren de Aragua, such as Los Piratas de Aragua and La Hermandad, shows the ongoing efforts, but the cyclical nature of these organizations means that new factions emerge as old ones are disrupted. Chile, like many nations in the region, is grappling with the transnational nature of organized crime, and the Tren de Aragua represents a particularly insidious threat.

The police action has even led members of the Tren de Aragua to send messages ordering...

— Hassel BarrientosHassel Barrientos warns about the ongoing and adaptive nature of the criminal organization.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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