The local gang leader revealed the dirty secrets of this country.
The leader of one of the largest gangs in the kidnapping in the capital of Venezuela spoke in detail about how he pursues and takes its victims as it kills those who do not pay the ransom, and also about their network of corrupt police officers.
Soul horror-based shooter in an interview with the Daily Mail, which took place literally at gunpoint in the slums of Western Caracas, where the laws, the gang leader admitted that does not feel remorse about the power of his terror over the city, drowning in the economic crisis.
“If they don’t pay the ransom in a week, we dig a two-meter hole, shoot them in the face with a shotgun, so no one could identify the body. They remain missing forever. In this town I’m in charge,” he says.
The number of kidnappings in Venezuela rose sharply after oil prices fell and caused widespread shortages and unrest. Overstaffed police not able to cope with the crime wave that brought the country to its knees.
In Caracas, which is called the most dangerous city on earth, the greatest number of kills: only in 2015 in the city with a population of 3.3 million people were killed 3946 people. According to police, 85% of the deaths in Caracas — violent.
Police admit publicly that can not cope with crime. Santiago Rosas, chief of police El Hatillo who patrols on a motorcycle is one of the most dangerous areas of the city, said that now the police can protect only nine percent of the population.
The leader of the kidnapping gang, who is only 23 years old, makes a terrible confession on how he weaves a web around the police and uses the plight of the people, which delves into the garbage in search of food. Sitting in the shadows with a mask on his face, he said: “I do not feel remorse, because the people we abducted a lot of money. Usually we get a tip from someone who has a grudge against this man. He tells us that he knows that the victim have money, and know which route it moves. We know a lot of private bodyguards, and when they feel that they are poorly paid, they give us the information we need to ensure that we stole their rich employer, and we give them rollback”.
Perhaps the leader of the gang and exaggerates their “feats”. But Santiago Rozas, head of police Department El Hatillo, said that the rate for intelligence information and the ability long time to hold their victims suggests that this is one of the largest criminal gangs in Caracas. A large part of the kidnapping gang are doing one-day, called Express kidnapping. Statements by the leader of the gang of about 300 participants, maybe an exaggeration, says the policeman, however, even if there are 150 people, it is the number of municipal police Department.
With the worsening economic crisis, the price skyrocketed, despite the fact that average salary is 20 dollars a month. The first kidnapping gang made five years ago, the criminals managed to gain $ 170. Now they are asking for at least 17 thousand dollars.
The gang, which calls itself the “kings of the city, has informers and informants in all areas of life, including among the military and police. According to Transparency International, Venezuela is ranked ninth in the list of most corrupt countries in the world.
“The market is kidnapping a lot of competition. Many cops do it, — said the leader of the gang. — There are two kinds of cops. Alone — smart, who know what quarrel with us is not wise, others stupid, who the window flying grenades. Smart give us rapid-fire weapons, bullets, uniforms. We have people who work for us in the municipal, the people’s police and the army, and they take care to ensure that we were well equipped.”
“We have a weapon much better than the police. We have four houses in the area that we use as warehouses for weapons and explosives. As long as your car drove up, my men are trained, aiming at you from a sniper weapon,” adds 23-year-old bandit.
All of this is familiar police El Hatillo where in the RAID for the fight against corruption in two years, fired 41 people on charges of abductions, robberies and killings. “The situation is such as he described, that’s for sure,” says Rosas. — They have better weapons. We hope that in our district not so much “smart” cops, but to be honest a COP is dangerous”.
Two years ago an audit of the Arsenal police Department El Hatillo showed that 20 weapons and 1000 rounds have gone missing. It is assumed that they were handed over to criminals. To make it clear how bad the situation with crime in Caracas: last year a woman called the police when he saw that the front door of her house open, and in the end, six police officers arrived on a call, themselves robbed her house.
The police in Venezuela the most dangerous work, so hire new employees very difficult. Police receive only $ 16 a month, which forced to live side by side with their enemies in the heart of a slum teeming with gangs.
In the criminal world the murder of a police officer is a condition of promotion to a higher position among the underground gangs. In 2015 in the capital were killed 173 of the police. From the beginning of 2016 has already killed 64 of the law enforcement officer by 14% compared to the same period last year.
Last year one of employees of Department of police of El Hatillo attacked his home. He was shot 14 times in the face and 12 times in the body right in front of his wife and two small children. In Caracas, the crime-merged with everyday life. While the journalists interviewed the leader of the gang at gunpoint, people were walking on the street, and children playing near the brightly painted houses in the slums.
On average, according to the leader of the kidnappers, his gang kills several people a month and kidnaps someone every week. They make no distinction between men, women or old people, when talking about the kidnapping, and can steal a child, if there is confidence that they will get a big enough ransom. He added that they are working on abduction, which can bring them 34,5 thousand dollars.
“Last Thursday we kidnapped the headmaster, because one of her students told us that she has a lot of money. We demanded a ransom of 17.6 thousand dollars, and her family paid for seven hours. Everything went very smoothly, it was a good thing.” The leader of the gang said that the kidnapping was committed outside the hotel where there lived journalists of the Daily Mail, the business quarter of Caracas.
The criminal group also claims that the drug trade is profitable. “Sometimes we kill the victims if they have mad. I once killed a man for what he really begged to keep him alive. He didn’t have a shred of courage, and I shot him”. Boss claims to have killed at least twenty people with his own hands and ordered the execution of hundreds of people.
The gang leader told in detail how the place of abduction. A team of informants quietly prowls the streets and spends weeks gathering information about a rich man whose life is governed by the schedule. Then the group of four tracks the victim’s car following ahead of her and not behind. “We already know his route,” he explained.
On a relatively empty street, they stop in front of the victim’s car and pushed the man in his car. Abandoned car, as a rule, and left to stand. “When we bring them to us to the slums, we treat them the same way he treated you today. We force them to keep the head down, searched and forced to sit on metal chairs. Our faces are always closed. If they resist, we’ll shoot at the legs. We don’t spend time on torture or cutting off an ear to send to the family, as shown in the movies. If they don’t pay or don’t cooperate, we simply kill” — says the leader of the group.
Many gang members are teenagers, someone just ten years old. As they get more powerful, they feel more impunity. From 92 to 97% of those arrested with the obvious evidence released from the justice system, riddled with corruption and nepotism, says Rosas. “This is the Venezuelan justice. This is one of the largest and deepest of our problems,” he says.
The confusion is especially felt by the police on the front line. In April, the subordinates of the roses were to arrest a bandit on a motorcycle that someone shot in the area. Less than two months, the suspect paid a bribe and was released.
What’s worse, in Venezuelan prisons is ruled by the prisoners themselves, and the authorities just keep them inside. Prisons crammed with weapons and drugs and serve as incubators of violence.
In Venezuela, for every two people have one firearm. This is the most armed country in the world. A large part of the firearms legally or illegally fell into the hands of ordinary citizens from the authorities themselves.
Hugo Chavez, the legendary Venezuelan leader, who died in 2013, has organized hundreds of armed detachments of militia that were supposed to take to the streets and defend his socialist ideology in times of crisis. So the possession of firearms became widespread throughout the country and significantly raised the number of murders.
The police Department, which is headed roses, is part of Caracas, which is controlled by opposition politicians, so he can speak freely. However, according to him, the government is increasingly trying to control independent police force. He believes that the security crisis in Venezuela is to blame mostly the government. In 2014, the authorities tried to alleviate the conflict between police and gangs, declaring “peace zones” throughout the country, where the police were forbidden to intrude. After that, the local gangs came together in a huge group and occupied the area ranging from a few blocks and ending with the square of the little town.
In one Caracas, there are four “peace zone” with an area of 15.5 square kilometers. Police are allowed only to collect dead bodies. “It was obvious that so be it,” says Rosas. — It was a crazy decision in the country of crazy decisions.”
Many children involved in the criminal world from a very early age. The leader of the criminal gangs began to sell drugs on the street and shoplifting at age 13 because he was mistreated at home. Then he moved on to car theft, armed robbery and murder, and then used the money earned to put together your own gang of hired thugs.
According to him, the first lethal victim was the man who tried to stop him robbing a store. “I shot him in the stomach with a revolver 38 caliber, and later learned that he died — says the leader of the gang. I was so angry at him and frightened by the police, but I knew he deserved it. He was bigger than me, he didn’t have to try to stop me.”
Now he does not spend time cleaning the crime scene, because he knows that the police still will not investigate. “It gives me a great feeling. I’m mighty, I’m better than other people who work for $ 20 per month. I earned respect for his intelligence and brutality. If someone crosses me, I’ll kill him in front of everyone, to know that I am in control of this city”.
