Antonio and Sandra live in Altagracia de Orituco with their two grandchildren, aged 7 and 1. One of the children is the son of their daughter Andrea, who emigrated from Venezuela, and a Tren del Llano member she had a relationship with. At the time of Operation Trueno, their son Jorge, an off-duty National Guard  official, was visiting.

This story is part of an investigation produced by InSight Crime and the Venezuelan human rights organization Defiende Venezuela that exposes the abuses of the Venezuelan security forces and tells the stories of their victims. Explore these stories and the full human rights report here

It was about 10:30 p.m., when around 18 police officers, their faces covered, surrounded Antonio and Sandra’s house then burst through the door.

They threw Antonio to the floor and grabbed Sandra by the hair then dragged her to the patio, screaming insults at her.

The officers demanded to know about their daughter Andrea and her relationship with the now-dead Tren del Llano member.

One officer asked Jorge if he had any problems with the law. When he replied that he had left all that behind, the official pointed his rifle at him.

Officials told Sandra and Jorge as they arrested them that they were acting on a presidential order. Before they left, they stole everything of value they could find, including cash, their identifications, bank cards, and even Jorge’s clothes and his motorcycle.

Antonio spent five days trawling around different police stations trying to find where his loved ones had been taken. When he finally found out where they were being held, an official told him he should bring them food, as they had not eaten since the arrest.

Antonio was told Sandra and Jorge were to be transferred to Caracas, but he would have to pay $200 to cover the costs, otherwise they would be left to rot in their cells. He sold what few possessions he had and took out a loan to raise the money.

They were charged with criminal association, arms trafficking, and terrorism. While Jorge denied the charges, Sandra admitted criminal association in exchange for a 5-year sentence she believed would be commuted. But the judge assessing her case demanded $3,000 to free her. When she couldn’t pay, she was sent back to jail.

Six months after the arrests, Antonio and Sandra’s daughter Andrea returned to Venezuela to see her detained family. She was intercepted by police on motorcycles outside a subway station in Caracas. They pointed their weapons and one shouted at her…

Police officers questioned Andrea on her relationship with the gang member, and threatened to plant drugs on her. They then told her she could “resolve” her situation by paying them $3,000.

Andrea told them she could pay them $1,000. She had $700 in savings and said she would go back to Altagracia de Orituco to find the rest.

Once she was freed, Andrea began receiving threatening calls from police officials, who told her they would plant drugs on her and arrest her if she did not pay up.

In August 2023, police again raided the family home demanding to know the whereabouts of Tren del Llano members. Sandra and Jorge, meanwhile, remain in prison.

In July 2023, Antonio, with the help of the Defiende Venezuela legal team, filed a complaint with the Registration Unit of the General Secretariat Directorate of the Public Ministry demanding justice for the violations of the rights of his daughter Andrea. To date, no action has been taken in the case.

The Castillo family are among the thousands of victims of security forces abuses documented in Venezuela by human rights organizations.

If you value this work, please consider making a donation.

We want to continue working with local partners to expose crime and corruption and to tell compelling stories. In order to do that we need your support. You can make a single donation or become a regular donor if you wish to support our work.

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When Terror Swept Through Guárico, Venezuela

This story is part of an investigation produced by InSight Crime and the Venezuelan human rights organization Defiende Venezuela that exposes the abuses of the Venezuelan security forces and tells the stories of their victims. Explore these stories and the full human rights report here.

Explore the series

Antonio and Sandra live in Altagracia de Orituco with their two grandchildren, aged 7 and 1. One of the children is the son of their daughter Andrea, who emigrated from Venezuela, and a Tren del Llano member she had been in a relationship with. At the time of Operation Trueno, their son Jorge, an off-duty National Guard  official, was visiting.

This story is part of an investigation produced by InSight Crime and the Venezuelan human rights organization Defiende Venezuela that exposes the abuses of the Venezuelan security forces and tells the stories of their victims. Explore these stories and the full human rights report here

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It was about 10:30 p.m, when around 18 police officers, their faces covered, surrounded Antonio and Sandra’s house then burst through the door.

They threw Antonio to the floor and grabbed Sandra by the hair then dragged her to the patio, screaming insults at her.

The officers demanded to know about their daughter Andrea and her relationship with the now-dead Tren del Llano member.

One officer asked Jorge if he had any problems with the law. When he replied that he had left all that behind, the official pointed his rifle at him.

Officials told Sandra and Jorge they were acting on a presidential order as they arrested them. Before they left, they stole everything of value they could find, including cash, their identifications, bank cards, and even Jorge’s clothes and his motorcycle.

Antonio spent five days trawling around different police stations trying to find where his loved ones had been taken. When he finally found out where they were being held, an official told him he should bring them food, as they had not eaten since the arrest.

Antonio was told Sandra and Jorge were to be transferred to Caracas, but he would have to pay $200 to cover the costs, otherwise they would be left to rot in their cells. He sold what few possessions he had and took out a loan to raise the money.

They were charged with criminal association, arms trafficking, and terrorism. While Jorge denied the charges, Sandra admitted criminal association in exchange for a 5-year sentence she believed would be commuted. But the judge assessing her case demanded $3,000 to free her. When she couldn’t pay, she was sent back to jail.

Six months after the arrests, Antonio and Sandra’s daughter Andrea returned to Venezuela to see her detained family. She was intercepted by police on motorcycles outside a subway station in Caracas. They pointed their weapons and one shouted at her…

Police officers questioned Andrea on her relationship with the gang member, and threatened to plant drugs on her. They then told her she could “resolve” her situation by paying them $3,000.

Andrea told them she could pay them $1,000. She had $700 in savings and said she would go back to Altagracia de Orituco to find the rest.

Once she was freed, Andrea began receiving threatening calls from police officials, who told her they would plant drugs on her and arrest her if she did not pay up.

In August 2023, police again raided the family home demanding to know the whereabouts of Tren del Llano members. Sandra and Jorge, meanwhile, remain in prison.

In July 2023, Antonio, with the help of the Defiende Venezuela legal team, filed a complaint with the Registration Unit of the General Secretariat Directorate of the Public Ministry demanding justice for the violations of the rights of his daughter Andrea. To date, no action has been taken in the case.

The Castillo family are among the thousands of victims of security forces abuses documented in Venezuela by human rights organizations.

If you value this work, please consider making a donation.

We want to continue working with local partners to expose crime and corruption and to tell compelling stories. In order to do that we need your support. You can make a single donation or become a regular donor if you wish to support our work.

$
$
$

Your contribution is appreciated.

When Terror Swept Through Guárico, Venezuela

This story is part of an investigation produced by InSight Crime and the Venezuelan human rights organization Defiende Venezuela that exposes the abuses of the Venezuelan security forces and tells the stories of their victims. Explore these stories and the full human rights report here.

Explore the series

Credits

Illustrations and colorization: Juan José Restrepo
Investigation: Ezequiel A. Monsalve Fernandez, Hjalmar D. Soler Zambrano
Texts: James Bargent
Creative direction and art direction: Elisa Roldán

Layout and effects: Belmar Santanilla
Editing: Mike LaSusa, María Fernanda Ramírez, Lara Loaiza
Graphic design: Juan José Restrepo, María Isabel Gaviria, Ana Isabel Rico
Social media: Camila Aristizábal, Paula Rojas, Daniel Reyes