Chile: Supreme Court ratifies sentences against 34 members of Tren de Aragua gang
The prosecutor in the case, Mario Carrera stressed that although not all received life imprisonment, the sentences are so high that they are practically equivalent to life imprisonment.
Tren de Aragua gang member (Archive)
The Chilean Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal for annulment filed by the defense of "Los Gallegos", a cell of the Tren de Aragua gang, upholding the convictions of its 34 members.
Several received life sentences, while the rest received more than 600 years in prison, according to the Argentine media Infobae. The sentences, handed down by the Arica Criminal Oral Court, cover crimes committed since 2022 in Cerro Chuño, Arica, some 2,000 km north of Santiago, near the border with Peru.
The charges of those convicted
The convicts faced charges of qualified homicide, simple homicide, kidnapping for ransom, drug and human trafficking, illicit association and robbery with intimidation, among others. The prosecutor Mario Carrera emphasized that, although not all received life imprisonment, the sentences are so high that they are practically equivalent to life imprisonment. "The Supreme Court gave its verdict and rejected all the appeals of the defenses, so the sentences are final and the subjects will begin to serve them," Carrera said.
Between June 2022 and January 2023, the gang suffered the seizure of more than 80 kilos of drugs and an arsenal that included conventional weapons, weapons of war and ammunition, used for kidnappings, extortion, robberies and homicides. "Los Gallegos" operated from Cerro Chuño, a sector of land takeovers with precarious housing inhabited by foreigners and low-income Chileans.
The organization was led from Peru by Felix Anner Castillo Rondon, alias "Pure Arnel," who coordinated drug trafficking and homicides. In Arica, the leadership included Yoneiker Paredes Faúndez ("El Enano"), Jorve Galavis García ("El Culito") and Misael Zambrano Jiménez ("Kiko"), the latter assuming leadership after a restructuring in 2022.
Among the members were Jhonatan Mota Carballo ("Mota") and Alexander Gabay Varela ("Fresa"), dedicated hitmen and involved in drug trafficking, and César Mora Hernández and Jefferson Marcano Hernández, who led kidnappings and extortion, especially of sex workers who did not pay taxes.
Chileans included
Six Chileans were part of the group, including Sebastián González Castillo, a former soldier who supplied vehicles and weapons.
This ruling deals a blow to the Tren de Aragua cell in Chile, consolidating the judicial response against one of the most violent criminal organizations in the region.
Tren de Aragua, a Trump-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization
This designation took effect in February. In addition to the Tren de Aragua gang, other groups, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and MS-13, were put on the same list, as they pose a significant threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy, and the U.S. economy.
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