The President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro, denounced this Monday that there is a campaign against Venezuela over the alleged expansion of the so-called “Tren de Aragua” (Aragua Train) criminal network in several countries around the world, including Chile, the United States, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, among others:
“There is a whole campaign about the Tren de Aragua in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and the United States, it turns out that now it is the new Pablo Escobar Gaviria (…) That smells like a campaign against Venezuela, that sounds like a campaign against Venezuela,” he emphasized.
During the broadcast of program number 41 of “Con Maduro +”, the Head of State pointed out that Venezuela defeated the cells of criminal organizations such as the Tren de Aragua, an action that he explained – just like other leaders in the region – to his counterpart from Colombia, Gustavo Petro.
“In Venezuela there is no such thing as the Tren de Aragua,” he stated.
On the other hand, he revealed that during his meeting with the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, they agreed on new levels of cooperation in the fight against criminal gangs and we talked about the peace process in Colombia.
Maduro explained that the meeting he held with his Colombian counterpart allowed the review of investments, diplomatic relations and the issue of border security.
However, the national leader pointed out that – in a sincere conversation – he explained how the former president of Colombia, Iván Duque, “took away Venezuelan crime” and incorporated it into the paramilitary structure.
“Iván Duque took Venezuelan crime to Colombia and gave them politically persecuted status; and how he articulated not only with the Tren de Aragua, but with other mafias that completely left Venezuela for Colombia, Iván Duque took them and incorporated them into the structure of the paramilitary mafia that he directs,” he stated.
In order to definitively defeat crime, he stressed that both agreed on the need to increase cooperation, particularly in matters of border security.
“Since Petro arrived, cooperation between the armies and the police has been improving, today we have a higher level of control and security in all border areas and that must be improved much more,” he added.
The meeting between both leaders took place last Tuesday, April 9, at Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, where both leaders reviewed the map of binational cooperation.
They talked about the new opportunities that are opening up in all fields: transportation, economy, alternative and traditional energies, joint investments, trade and projects that must continue the route of permanent encounter and reunion between both countries.
