Venezuela has taken significant action to regain control of one of its largest prisons, Tocoron, which had long been dominated by a powerful criminal gang known as Tren de Aragua, according to BBC.

The prison, situated in the northern part of the country, had effectively been under the gang's control for an extended period.

The gang members enjoyed an astonishing degree of freedom within the prison, described by local media as having amenities resembling a hotel.

These amenities included a pool, nightclub, and even a mini zoo.

Officials have announced plans to transfer the approximately 6,000 inmates held at Tocoron to other correctional facilities.

This move has left some of the free residents who lived inside the prison, alongside sentenced inmates, uncertain about their future.

Reports suggest that security guards have been observed removing motorcycles, televisions, and microwaves from the facility.

In a statement on social media, the Venezuelan Interior Ministry commended the officers for retaking control of the prison and dismantling what it referred to as "a center of conspiracy and crime."

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Tren de Aragua Gang

Tren de Aragua is one of Venezuela's most powerful local gangs, involved in criminal activities throughout the country and beyond, Barron noted.

According to investigations, the gang comprises approximately 5,000 members and has been active for about a decade.

Its criminal activities encompass kidnappings, robberies, drug trafficking, prostitution, extortion, and illegal gold mining.

The gang is also deeply involved in migrant smuggling, according to the InSight Crime think tank.

Ronna Risquez, a Venezuelan journalist, has highlighted the gang's exploitation of Venezuela's economic and political crises over the past decade to expand its operations.

It is now believed to be in at least eight other Latin American countries.

Risquez revealed that Tocoron had been entirely under the gang's control, with gang members serving as prison guards in all but name.

She likened the prison to a "hotel" for the gang leaders, complete with a bank, baseball field, restaurant, and even a disco.

The leader of the gang, Hector Guerrero Flores, who was serving a 17-year sentence in Tocoron for murder and drug trafficking, appeared to have free access to come and go from the prison before the operation to regain control.

Venezuela Government Releases Statement After Taking Tocoron Prison Back

The Venezuelan government has released a statement indicating that the operation aims to dismantle organized crime gangs and criminal networks operating from Tocoron, impacting the peace and security of the Venezuelan people, per Atlas News.

This operation aligns with the government's citizen security policy within the framework of the doctrine of civil-military-police cooperation.

According to local media, Tocoron prison, originally designed to accommodate 700 inmates, was holding more than 7,000 individuals at the time of the operation.

The gang's leader, Hector Guerrero Flores, reportedly charged inmates around $8 per week to reside there, earning him over a million dollars annually.

 In Venezuela, the influence of criminal bosses, or "pranes," extends to 31 out of 52 prisons, with minimal government oversight.

Only eight prisons are entirely under the control of the Penitentiary Service, while eight are fully controlled by criminal syndicates.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Scene outside gang-run prison retaken by Venezuelan authorities - From AFP