Colombian authorities extradited the Venezuelan citizen Dayonis Junior Orozco Castillo, alias “Botija”, to Chile this Thursday, who is accused of being one of the material authors of the kidnapping and murder of the former Venezuelan military officer, Ronald Ojeda, in Santiago in 2024. In parallel, the U.S. ratified the deportation to the country of Rafael Enrique Gámez Salas, alias “El Turko,” identified as the intellectual author of the assassination.
Orozco, also accused of the crime against Carabineros officer Emmanuel Sánchez, was arrested in the Colombian city of Popayán on April 23, 2024, after escaping from Chile and passing through Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.
His arrival in the country comes as the Public Prosecutor’s Office prepares the trial against 20 defendants, all members of the “Los Piratas de Aragua” faction, who carried out the operation that ended the life of the ill-fated former lieutenant.
The Chilean Prosecutor’s Office maintains the thesis that Ojeda’s crime was “political” and orchestrated in Venezuela by none other than Diosdado Cabello as one of those responsible, which is why there are also negotiations with the US government to interrogate the former dictator, Nicolás Maduro.
“Any new defendant or detainee will be included in the ongoing case, which could include authorities from that country (Venezuela), if the evidence so determines. In this context, it is confirmed that the potential participation in this crime by individuals serving in the Venezuelan government, such as Mr. Diosdado Cabello, continues to be specifically investigated,” states the indictment presented by the Prosecutor’s Office in December 2025.
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According to a report by Ciper, the investigation led by prosecutor Héctor Barros includes two statements from associates of Rafel Gámez (The “Turko”), leader of the “Piratas de Aragua,” the cell that carried out the crime, and an audio recording of “Gordo Alex”—one of the leaders of the Tren de Aragua in the country—which prove that Ojeda’s murder was planned in Venezuela.
The first testimony corresponds to one of the “Turko’s” trusted men, who assured detectives that the order to kill Ojeda came directly from the top boss of the Tren de Aragua, Héctor Guerrero Flores – alias “Niño Guerrero” -, which was transmitted in Chile by Carlos “Bobby” Gómez.
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“They call Niño Guerrero ‘el Cejas’ (the Eyebrows), and the instruction was given by him and came down through Bobby, reaching Turko, (…). Likewise, José Carlos (Valverde, one of the subjects who carried out Ojeda’s kidnapping), told me that Diosdado Cabello, who is a Venezuelan politician, gave the instruction to carry out the kidnapping through Niño Guerrero, paying through him, considering that the military officer was not linked to any type of crime such as drugs, weapons, or any other situation”, states the declaration.
The same witness detailed that ten days before the kidnapping he was contacted and included in a WhatsApp group.
“In the (chat) were ‘Turko’ and ‘Chanel’, who are two leaders within the criminal structure operating in Chile; in addition to them, there were some friends and acquaintances, whom I know as ‘Mudo’, ‘Jose Carlos Valverde’, ‘Edgar’, ‘Yolvi Gonzalez’, ‘Monito’, ‘Morocho’, and ‘Gordo Ale’. In that group, Turko wrote that ‘Bobby’ had entrusted him with a job and that apparently it was quite complicated and had to be done dressed as PDI, which is why several tasks were assigned through that group”.
Rafael Enrique Gámez Salas, alias “El Turko”, was allegedly the mastermind behind the crime of Ojeda and will be extradited from the U.S.
The “Turko”
Meanwhile, this same Thursday the U.S. confirmed that the deportation to Chile of “El Turko” has been authorized, who is allegedly the mastermind behind the kidnapping and murder of Ojeda, a matter that could be finalized next week.
A second member of the gang, identified as “Protected Witness No. 7”, recognized “El Turko” as their leader and asserted that a certain José Carlos Valverde—who remains a fugitive—told him that Ojeda’s crime was “ordered by the government of Venezuela, planned by the leaders of the Tren de Aragua, and executed by the members of that gang who were in Chile, with the money being paid by the government; however, I am unaware of the figures and who had to pay them.”
Also, that once the murder was committed they had to flee to Peru, where they would be paid for the “job” done. “Larry Changa”, one of the founders of Tren de Aragua, was extradited to Chile this Wednesday and is accused of several extortion kidnappings.
“Extraditions have been taking place in a much more expeditious manner than we even thought, and faster, therefore we believe that during this year we should have everyone who is detained in the extradition process at the disposal of the Prosecutor’s Office,” asserted the prosecutor, Héctor Barros.
The extraditions of “Botija” and ”El Turko” are in addition to the deportation to Chile from Colombia of Larry Amaury Álvarez Núñez, alias “Larry Changa”, one of the founders of the Tren de Aragua, signed on Wednesday by President Gustavo Petro, who will be tried in Chile for other extortionate kidnappings that ended in homicides.
