Colombian national police announced on Monday that they have arrested one of three Venezuelan gang leaders linked to the murder of American nursing student Laken Riley.
Larry Amauri Álvarez Núñez, also known as “Larry Changa,” was captured in a rural area of Circassia, a city in the central-western region of Quindío. statement From the office of Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Alvarez Nunez is a co-founder of the international gang “Tren de Aragua,” or “Aragua Train,” and one of its main triumvirate. The other two leaders were identified in Petro's statement as “Niño Guerrero” and “Johan Petrica.”
“This individual was wanted in Venezuela and Chile and had Interpol arrest warrants in 196 countries for serious crimes, including terrorism, terrorist financing, arms and ammunition trafficking, extortion and kidnapping,” Petro's statement said of Alvarez Nunez.
According to the statement, Alvarez Nunez entered Colombia illegally and reportedly used false documents to set up businesses, including a pizzeria and a slaughterhouse, as a front for expanding Tren de Aragua's operations in Colombia.
Chilean authorities, who had been pursuing Alvarez Nunez's family, assisted in the arrest. A drone revealed his hideout, leading to the ambush. Alvarez Nunez tried to escape but was arrested, Petro's statement said.
The statement said extradition negotiations were ongoing. (Related story: Reporter asks Mayorkas about families who have lost loved ones to illegal immigrants)
.@PoliciaColombia An important blow to the title of “Valley of Aragua” was the capture, in the rural area of Circassia, Quindío province, of one of the biggest gunmen called for by 196 countries under the alias “Larry Changa”, who is under investigation in Venezuela and Chile for terrorism and traffic violations… pic.twitter.com/TM1zA8Hq8N
— Mindefensa (@mindefensa) July 1, 2024
Petro said Tren de Aragua was founded in Venezuela's Tocorón prison between 2007 and 2013.
Venezuela's most feared gang operated inside the prison for years before Venezuelan security forces raided and seized the facility in late September 2023, the BBC reported. reportThe prison, which served as the gang's base, reportedly had a swimming pool, a nightclub, a baseball diamond and a mini zoo.
Niño Guerrero, whose real name is Héctor Guerrero Flores, is due to finish serving his 17-year sentence in late 2022 and had left Tocorón before the attack. according to His whereabouts remain unknown, El Pais reported.A third gang boss, Johan Petrica (real name Johan José Romero), was reportedly spotted in Brazil in 2022 but is believed to live in southern Venezuela and head an illegal gold mining operation in Tren de Aragua.
Jose Ibarra, 26, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, accused of killing Riley, a University of Georgia student, has gang ties, the New York Post reported. reportHe pleaded not guilty on May 31.
Ibarra's 29-year-old brother, Diego, also has suspected gang ties but is not connected to Riley's murder. He allegedly used a fake green card to get a job at the University of Georgia, which led to his arrest. according to outlet.
Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, who allegedly shot two New York Police Department (NYPD) officers on June 3, also reportedly had ties to the gang.
Riley, 22, was found dead from blunt force trauma in a wooded area on the campus of the University of Georgia on February 22. Her death has prompted calls for greater security at the U.S. border.
