On September 30, the United States extradited three individuals to Chile who are accused of being members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan-based transnational criminal organization. The defendants had been living in the United States without legal status and face charges in Chile including homicide, kidnapping for ransom, and human smuggling.
Tren de Aragua was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by Executive Order 14157 on January 20. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that these actions are part of ongoing efforts to address threats posed by international criminal groups.
“The three defendants allegedly committed heinous crimes in the name of the foreign terrorist organization, Tren de Aragua, and then sought to escape justice by living in the United States illegally,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With today’s extradition, the Department of Justice has made the streets of the United States safer and assisted our Chilean partners in ensuring that these defendants will be held accountable for crimes that they are accused of committing in that country. The United States will no longer be a safe haven for members of TdA who pose a direct threat to our public safety and national security.”
The extradited individuals include Miguel Oyola Jimenez, 38, a dual Venezuelan and Ecuadorian citizen charged with two counts of kidnapping for ransom and one count of criminal association; Jesus Alberto Golding Escalona, 34, a Venezuelan national charged with aggravated murder and human smuggling; and Edgar Javier Benitez Rubio, 37, also from Venezuela, charged with kidnapping with homicide, criminal association, and receiving stolen property.
According to Chilean authorities:
- Oyola Jimenez is alleged to have directed kidnappings targeting migrant workers as part of TdA operations in Northern Chile.
- Golding Escalona is accused of killing an individual during a large-scale human smuggling operation connected to Tren de Desastre.
- Benitez Rubio allegedly participated in the kidnapping and murder of an opposition member in Santiago by providing vehicles used during the crime.
Additionally on September 30, two more Venezuelan nationals were extradited: Gregoris Jose Cortez Fernandez is accused by Chilean officials of acting as a hitman for Gallineta gang; Yonaiker Gabriel Sequera Olivero allegedly shot someone over a narcotics dispute.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with multiple U.S. Attorney’s Offices across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Washington state as well as federal agencies including U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alongside prosecutors and law enforcement from Chile to facilitate these extraditions.
