Five people including "
El Koki
", the most wanted bandit in Venezuela, were killed during a police and military operation in the state of Aragua, about thirty km from Caracas, the Minister announced on Wednesday February 9. of the Interior, Remigio Ceballos.
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"
Five criminals who confronted the police (...) were killed
" during the police deployment that began Monday evening, Admiral Ceballos said in a statement.
“
We managed to arrest thirteen criminals.
Nine men and four women
”, added Remigio Ceballos about the operation in which the national and regional police, the scientific police, the National Guard (military) and the intelligence services took part.
Among the criminals killed is Carlos Luis Revette, alias "
El Koki
", the leader of one of the most dangerous gangs in Venezuela, one of the most violent countries in the world.
In July 2021, after an operation to dislodge his gang from several neighborhoods in Caracas, the government put a price on his head, offering $500,000 for his capture.
The authorities then deployed nearly 2,500 security force officers during a two-day "
battle
" around Cota 905 (west of Caracas) with a death toll of 22, including four law enforcement officers.
Operations in Aragua continued on Wednesday according to the minister.
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"The Rabbit" still wanted
The police are looking in particular for another famous bandit and ally of "
El Koki
": Carlos Enrique Gomez, known as "
The Rabbit
", whom the press describes as the leader of a band which rages in Tejerias, the targeted area. by law enforcement.
“
I ordered that we redouble (vigilance) and continue the search (...).
We will not rest until we bring all armed groups to justice
,” the minister promised.
Venezuela recorded 11,081 violent deaths in 2021 - homicides, deaths due to "
resistance to authority
" and ongoing investigations - according to the NGO Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), reference on the subject for lack of relevant official data.
This represents a rate of 40.9 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, seven times the world average, according to UN figures.
The blame lies primarily with organized crime that thrives on drug trafficking, extortion and kidnapping, but also on corruption and state mismanagement.
The so-called "
megaband " phenomenon
, gangs numbering 150 to 300 people, or even more, has grown over the past decade, worsening a situation that had begun to deteriorate in the 1990s.
