MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Colombian forces kill Tren de Aragua leader in gunfight

Colombia's Defense Ministry reported the events on Wednesday but they happened sometime earlier this week

Earlier this week, Colombian troops gunned down alias El Viejo, an alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal gang stemming from Venezuela's Tocorón prison, it was reported Wednesday by Bogotá. During a raid, El Viejo fired at the forces and was killed “in the legitimate reaction ... in the course of military operations,” the Defense Ministry said.

Authorities also captured alias Ardilla, accused of selecting victims for extortion and kidnapping. Two small arms were seized in the operation seeking to dismantle the gang's activities, which include extortion, kidnappings, and threats in the region. The area, close to the Catatumbo region, is also contested by guerrilla groups like the ELN and FARC dissidents for control of drug trafficking and other illicit economies.

“The alleged ringleader was accused of leading extortions, kidnappings, and threats to the community in this area of the country,” the Defense Ministry added.

The municipality of Villa el Rosario is on the Colombian border with Venezuela, near the Catatumbo region in Norte de Santander, where the National Liberation Army (ELN), the largest leftist guerrilla group active in the country, launched last January an offensive against dissidents of the FARC's 33rd Front, which initially left more than 80 dead and forced 70,000 people to relocate to cities such as Cúcuta, Ocaña, and Tibú.