Venezuela Dismantles Prison That Housed Casinos, Restaurants, and a Zoo

Venezuela is dismantling prisons with casinos, restaurants and zoos

Inmates at Venezuela's Aragua Prison Center live almost like kings, with access to playgrounds, restaurants, a zoo and more. That all ended on Wednesday when police and military troops entered and took control of the prison.

At Tocolon prison, police and soldiers confirmed years of rumors. They saw flamingos, jaguars and other exotic animals in a makeshift zoo set up by the prisoners.

Prisoners also have regular access to mobile phones, the Internet, television, air conditioning, etc. There's even a nightclub called Tokio. Police and military commissions searched the prison and found a room full of Bitcoin mining machines used by prisoners, local outlet El periodiquito de Aragua reported.

Venezuelan Department of Corrections authorities began counting 1,800 inmates after authorities, made up of 11,000 officers and soldiers, regained control of the prison. They were then transferred to prison centers in the states of Lara, Carabovotachira, Barinas, Guarico and the Capital District.

The census also revealed some troubling news. Missing are Héctor "El Niño" Guerrero, the leader of an organized crime gang known as the "Train de Aragua", his lieutenants and other prisoners. They escaped through a tunnel built under the prison.

SECRETLY IN SIGHT

Since 2017, after multiple reports and investigations by multiple media outlets, images of the agency have been exposed. They host parties with guest DJs, singers and even exotic dancers.

Many parties even have a theme. This means they can enjoy any event, from a fancy dress party to a neon-themed party where everyone dresses the same. Visitors, including relatives and partners of prisoners, regularly attend celebrations.

/5 Inside Tocolon: The Strictly Managed Prison is no ordinary prison. It's a small town with all the amenities of a normal small town, like a swimming pool pic.twitter.com/ZjIev2XRfK

— Michel Baljet (@MichelBaljet) 14. May 2018

Police records also confirm that during the siege, Tocolon owned a restaurant with a chef and waiters, swimming pools, sports fields (including a softball field) and even a horse racing betting center. It is equipped with satellite TV to watch matches.

Even from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s public statements, it’s unclear how the prison was able to continue operating for so long. Many inmates live in the facility with their families, apparently without proper supervision from the Department of Corrections.

No prisoners were reported dead or injured after the government imposed the siege. Video from the scene showed a fire in private cabins where some prisoners lived hours after the explosion, and tanks and armored vehicles were mobilized from Caracas.

The situation is reminiscent of a similar one that occurred recently in Colombia. Before authorities got involved, the La Picota jail there was known for its history of boozy parties and illegal casinos.

The person who ran away

Some of the fugitives have been captured. They enjoy a brief moment of freedom before their luck runs out. Now authorities are returning them to prison and questioning them in an attempt to locate the remaining fugitives.

However, authorities are most interested in recapturing Guerrero, who is considered one of Venezuela's most dangerous criminals.

Guerrero, then 27, entered the facility in 2010 after being charged with various crimes. He first escaped from prison two years later while awaiting court appearance on the charges and remained free for four years.

After authorities caught him in 2016, he appeared in court on murder, burglary, weapons possession and escape charges. From then on, Tocolon became his home, where he continued his illegal activities and even expanded his organization.

Guerrero was not the founder of the criminal group, which has branches in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Colombia. José Álvarez Rojas, also known as "el Chino Pradera," founded it in 2013 but was killed in a shootout with police in 2016. This led to Guerrero taking power. Aragua Trains is reportedly behind some of the most horrific crimes in South America, with a history of violence that rivals Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel. What started as a construction union in Venezuela in 2009 has grown into a gang focused on extortion, drug and human trafficking, murder and more. As long as the price is right, nothing is impossible.

Not surprisingly, Guerrero may have received word that authorities were planning to raid the prison. That gave him extra time to escape, and recapturing him would be difficult given the gang's influence in Latin America.