[OTHER] Tren de Aragua Ringleader Captured in Colombia

The alleged leader of Tren de Aragua’s presence in Cali, Valle del Cauca, a department located in the southwest of Colombia, was arrested by Colombian authorities on Wednesday, December 18, marking yet another blow to the criminal organization’s structure in the country following the recent arrests of other ringleaders. Johan Michael “Gallina” García Rojas, identified as a key trafficker of drugs, guns and people for the Venezuelan prison gang turned international crime syndicate, was captured during a joint operation between Colombia’s police and Prosecutor’s Office, and Venezuelan authorities, according to General William René Salamanca Ramírez, Director General of Colombia’s National Police.

Gallina was allegedly Tren de Aragua’s top supplier of arms and controlled narcotics, trafficking both from La Guajira, Colombia’s northwesternmost department, into neighboring Venezuela. He also supposedly facilitated the irregular migration of Venezuelans into Ecuador, a common tactic employed by the criminal outfit. Prior to his arrest, Gallina was wanted by Venezuelan authorities on charges of drug trafficking, criminal association, arms and ammunition trafficking, and financing terrorism. [1]

The arrest of Gallina is a further blow to Tren de Aragua’s presence in Colombia following the capture of two other alleged ringleaders by security forces in recent months. The first, identified by authorities as Jeison Alexander “Jeison Comino” Lorca Salazar, was arrested on November 15, 2024 in a joint operation between Colombian and Venezuelan forces dubbed “Operation Border.” Supposedly the organization’s second-highest-ranking member, Jeison Comino was found residing in a “luxurious property” in Los Santos, Santander. [2] [3]

The second individual, identified as Carlos “Bobby” Gómez, believed to be the leader of Tren de Aragua’s presence in Chile, was arrested on December 7, 2024 following a raid on the alleged criminal’s safehouse in Los Patios, Norte de Santander. President Gustavo Petro stated his arrest was the result of collaboration between “Chilean and Colombian intelligence.”

Bobby managed more than 120 active gang members, according to the Chilean authorities, and was able to evade capture by moving between Venezuela, Chile and Colombia, all countries for which he held citizenship, claimed Colonel Elver Alonso Sanabria, Director of the National Police’s GAULA special operations unit. Bobby’s arrest came amid meetings between the transnational criminal organization’s top leadership and the gang’s Colombian cell, asserted Colonel Sanabria. During this time, the leader of Tren de Aragua, Héctor Rusthenford “Niño Guerrero” Guerrero Flores, and the leader of the gang’s Colombian branch, Giovanny San Vicente Serrano, reportedly met in Bogotá, Colombia, in order to issue further orders on criminal activity in Colombia. [4] [5]

Following these arrests, President Petro stated that Tren de Aragua had been “practically dismantled in Latin America”. However, it is important to note that similar claims have previously been made by Venezuelan authorities regarding the gang’s defeat despite repeated reports and evidence to the contrary. [6] [7]

Sources:

General William René Salamanca Ramírez (@DirectorPolicia), “¡Ni la brujería salvó a cabecilla del ‘Tren de Aragua’! En Cali capturamos a Johan Michael García Rojas, alias ‘Gallina’…” X, December 18, 2024, post.
Mindefensa (@mindefensa), “Nuevo golpe al Tren de Aragua: @PoliciaColombia capturó a alias ‘Jeison Comino’…” X, November 16, 2024, post.
Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo), “Cae el segundo cabecilla más importante del tren de Aragua en territorio colombiano…” X, November 16, 2024, post.
Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo), “En la madrugada de hoy, en una operación policíal en Los Patios (N de S) fue capturado Carlos Gómez, alias Bobby, jefe de la banda multinacional Tren de Aragua en Chile…” X, December 7, 2024, post.
“SEMANA revela en exclusiva detalles de cumbre criminal en Bogotá: estuvo presente alias Niño Guerrero, máximo cabecilla del Tren de Aragua,” Semana, December 9, 2024, https://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/semana-revela-en-exclusiva-detalles-de-la-cumbre-criminal-en-bogota-estuvo-presente-alias-nino-guerrero-maximo-cabecilla-del-tren-de-aragua/202451/
Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo), “Prácticamente desmantelado el tren Aragua en América Latina por capturas hechas en Colombia. Primero, segundo y tercer cabecillas caen en el país,” X, December 18, 2024, post.
“Remigio Ceballos asegura que lograron desmantelar por completo al Tren de Aragua en Venezuela,” El Nacional, July 13, 2024, https://www.elnacional.com/venezuela/remigio-ceballos-asegura-que-lograron-desmantelar-por-completo-al-tren-de-aragua-en-venezuela/