The National Police have dismantled a criminal cell of the Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization of Venezuelan origin, arresting six of its members. The detainees are accused of committing three counts of violent and intimidating robbery in homes in Madrid. During the assaults, the criminals held and assaulted victims, stealing cash, jewelry, and managing to carry out bank and cryptocurrency transfers.

Investigations began last August after learning of a violent robbery in a private urbanization in San Sebastián de los Reyes. In this incident, five armed robbers held the tenants for hours, stealing jewelry, cash, and cryptocurrencies valued at approximately 3 million euros. Sources close to the investigation indicate that one of the victims was a financial businessman known in the cryptocurrency sphere, who is currently under investigation for alleged pyramid scheme fraud.

This event allowed officers to link two other similar robberies that occurred in vacation rental apartments in Madrid. In these cases, the robbers gagged and bound the victims, bordering on torture, to force them to authorize bank transfers. In one of the assaults, one of the detainees shot a victim in the face, causing serious injuries. For these acts, one of the arrested faces charges of attempted homicide, in addition to belonging to a criminal organization, violent robbery, illegal detention, fraud, and crimes against public health.

The victims of these assaults, of Spanish, Cuban, Latvian, and French nationality, shared a profile of economic solvency. The detainees, all of Venezuelan origin and aged between 25 and 35, allegedly surveilled these individuals to learn their movements and routines. The 'modus operandi' included simulating meetings in vacation apartments to gain the victims' trust before proceeding with the robbery and extortion to obtain bank and cryptocurrency transfers.

The investigation culminated with the entry and search of residences in Madrid and Murcia, as well as in Camarma de Esteruelas. During the operations, firearms, face coverings, forged license plates, frequency jammers, 100 grams of MDMA and ketamine, mobile phones, and 2,700 euros in cash were seized. The National Police have confirmed the detainees' link to a Tren de Aragua cell established in the region, dedicated to commissioned robberies.