How a Notorious Venezuelan Gang is Spreading Terror Across the Americas
The Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang, has expanded its operations beyond the country's borders. Despite government efforts to dismantle the gang, it remains a powerful force.
The Central Regional Highway, once a crucial artery linking Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, to Maracay, is now a bleak reminder of the chaos that grips the country. During the day, children and teenagers line the deteriorating road selling mangoes, while drivers navigate the precarious route that turns treacherous at night. The lack of lighting and frequent criminal activity make the journey perilous after dark. It was along this very stretch that former beauty queen Monica Spear tragically lost her life in 2014, a crime that shocked the nation and underscored the escalating danger in Venezuela’s collapsing infrastructure.
For much of the highway’s 74-mile stretch, the crumbling remnants of an unfinished railway project tell the story of a nation whose grandiose dreams have long since fallen into decay. The railroad, begun during the oil boom of the early 2000s when prices soared past $100 a barrel, was meant to connect Venezuela with the rest of Latin America, even reaching as far as Argentina. However, like so many projects in Venezuela, it was abandoned, another victim of mismanagement and corruption.
