
On July 1st, one of the three gang bosses from a Venezuelan gang linked to the brutal murder of American nursing student Laken Riley was apprehended by the national police of Colombia.
A statement from the office of Colombian President Gustavo Petro states that Larry Changa, whose real name is Larry Amaury Álvarez Núñez, was apprehended in the province of Quindío.
The international gang Tren de Aragua (Aragua Train) was co-founded by Álvarez Núñez, who is also one of its three top leaders. Niño Guerrero and Johan Petrica are the other two named in Petro’s declaration.
In relation to Álvarez Núñez, Petro said that he was sought by Venezuela and Chile and had a warrant for his arrest issued by Interpol in 196 countries for various major offenses such as terrorism, terrorist funding, arms trafficking, aggravated extortion, and kidnapping.
Petro said that Tren de Aragua was founded at the Tocorón jail in Venezuela.
The most notorious gang in Venezuela ran the show from within the jail for a long time until security officers invaded and took control in late September 2023. While the gang’s headquarters were located in the jail, rumors circulated that there was also a mini-zoo, baseball field, nightclub, and swimming pool.
The gang-affiliated illegal alien from Venezuela, Jose Ibarra (26), is charged with the murder of University of Georgia student Riley. On May 31, he entered a not guilty plea.
22-year-old Riley was discovered dead on the campus of the University of Georgia on February 22nd, with apparent injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma. The killing of Riley served as a call to arms for the protection of the United States’ borders.
Though he is not directly implicated in Riley’s murder, Diego (29), Ibarra’s brother, is also wanted for gang affiliations. The source said that he was apprehended after reportedly obtaining employment at the University of Georgia using a counterfeit green card.
Another gang associate was Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, who reportedly opened fire on two NYPD officers on June 3.