Suspect held in a Costa Rican maximum security prison awaiting extradition to Chile for the murder of Venezuelan Lt. Ronald Ojeda

Costa Rican authorities captured Maickel Villegas Rodríguez, 27, a member of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua, and one of the main suspects in the murder of Venezuelan lieutenant in exile, Ronald Ojeda, committed while in Santiago, Chile. Villegas is currently being held in a maximum security prison in Costa Rica, while his extradition to Chile is being processed.

Capture and extradition

Costa Rica's Public Security Minister, Mario Zamora Cordero, reported that Villegas was recently arrested while attempting to cross the border into Panama and was bound for the United States. The capture was made thanks to a red alert issued by Interpol due to his alleged participation in the kidnapping and murder of the Venezuelan ex-military officer.

Villegas is now being held at the Immigration Apprehension Center in Heredia, a facility that previously housed suspects linked to Al-Qaeda.

"The person is being detained with reinforced security processes, given his high level of dangerousness and we are awaiting order to begin the extradition process," stated Zamora.

After the arrest, the minister highlighted the efficiency of Costa Rican immigration authorities, who were able to identify Villegas in the midst of the intense flow of people transiting from South America to the United States.

Zamora also categorically ruled out that Villegas would be handed over to Venezuela, assuring that his extradition to Chile would be handled as quickly as possible.

Chilean authorities pointed to Villegas as one of the first suspects identified after he handed over his identity card at a fuel station an hour after the murder, and drove one of the vehicles used in Ojeda's abduction.

The Chilean Prosecutor's Office has also stated that the kidnapping and murder of Ronald Ojeda was politically motivated, driven by forces inside Venezuela, and ruled out a link to organized crime.

Ronald Ojeda's family seeks refuge in Argentina

Ronald Ojeda's family, consisting of his widow, son, sister and nephews, left Chile in search of safety and is in the process of obtaining political refuge in Argentina.

The asylum application was filed on July 4, 2024 and details the lack of protection by the Chilean Ministry of the Interior and Public Security, in addition to the tracking and surveillance the family has suffered, including hacks to their social media accounts and other threats.

The Ojedas arrived in Buenos Aires on July 11, where they were verbally informed that they had been granted political refuge. However, Ojeda's widow and sister must return to Chile to complete the necessary paperwork.

17-year-old detained in Ojeda case faces another accusation

A recent report from Chile's Servicio Nacional de Menores (Sename) reveals that a minor who was previously detained for collaborating in Ojeda's kidnapping is facing a new charge for consuming an illicit substance inside the facility of an internment center for youths in conflict with the law.

According to the document presented to the Third Guarantee Court of Santiago, on July 10, 2024, Sename officials at the North Metropolitan Center of Til Til caught the young man, of Venezuelan nationality and 17 years of age, smoking marijuana inside the center. This infraction led to the imposition of internal sanctions and the filing of a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office for facts that could constitute a crime.

The report details that, after being discovered smoking marijuana, the minor showed an attitude of indifference and left the place without showing remorse.

The juvenile, who acknowledged his role in the kidnapping, had been hired to act as a "lookout" for the operation. In his statement, the minor confirmed that he witnessed how Maickel Villegas Rodriguez and Walter Rodriguez Perez , the main suspects in the case, approached Ronald Ojeda inside a car to take photographs of him.