The arrest of Larry Álvarez Nuñez, a co-founder and principal leader of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in Colombia, marks the most significant blow to its leadership since its conception, according to an analysis by InSight Crime.
On July 1, the Colombian National Police captured Álvarez, also known as "Larry Changa," in a mansion in Circasia, located in the coffee-growing region of Quindio. Álvarez, who was being held in Tocorón prison in Venezuela where Tren de Aragua originated in 2007, had escaped in 2015 with the gang's assistance. His whereabouts remained unknown until 2018 when he surfaced in Chile.
