Inmates of Venezuela's most famous prison enjoyed a range of amenities
It was a huge job: security officers had to deal with not only prisoners who were in prison, but also about 300 families who lived with them.
Inside they found an arsenal of weapons — automatic rifles, pistols and boxes of ammunition.
Police from the police department drug enforcement came across a murky pond containing a group of flamingos.
Officers confiscated televisions and microwaves from prisoners' cells.
Ostriches and flamingos lived in the prison's mini-zoo
A huge fire broke out, engulfing the flimsy shacks in which the prisoners' families lived, with clubs smoke rising into the sky.
“I lived there, but they kicked us out,” said Gladys Hernandez, whose husband was a prisoner.
Police also discovered well-built tunnels through which, as It is believed that some drug lords escaped during the raid.
One of the gang leaders who reportedly managed to escape was Hector Guerrero Flores, aka Niño Guerrero (Warrior Boy). ), leader of the Tren de Aragua syndicate. He ran the prison as his personal fiefdom while serving a 17-year sentence for murder and drug trafficking.
A nightclub called » Tokyo» was another perk of the cartel in prison.
The Venezuelan government issued a statement saying it had launched an operation to capture all prisoners who escaped as the net closed.
Authorities said the goal was to «dismantle and put an end to organized crime groups and other criminal networks operating on the basis of the Tokoron penitentiary center.” The government congratulated the police and army for regaining «full control» of the prison in the northern state of Aragua.
An arsenal of weapons was discovered inside the prison, including automatic rifles, pistols and boxes of ammunition.
Years of turning a blind eye This meant that the killers and drug dealers of the Tren de Aragua gang could enjoy a life of relative privilege in a sprawling establishment ranging from betting on horse races and ending with access to an informal bank.
According to InSight Crime, a think tank that investigates criminal organizations in Latin America, the agreement, sanctioned by prison authorities, included «prisoners taking control of several prisons across the country in exchange for maintaining order, reducing murders and ending prison uprisings.» /p> 
During the raid, a huge fire broke out, destroying the flimsy shacks in which the prisoners' families lived
Caracas simply did not have the authority to provide law and order in the country's prisons.
Venezuelan authorities did not provide details about exactly how the operation took place, the scale of casualties or how much damage was done to the prison. They said the prisoners would be transferred to other facilities.
This prison was the unofficial headquarters of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison. the most powerful and brutal criminal group. Photo: Yuri Cortes/AFP
It was the largest security operation ever ordered by Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's president, during his 11 years in power.
But why did he act now, after years of allowing gangs to operate with impunity from within? prison complex?
There are several possible reasons, not least the pressure he has come under from other Latin American countries to crack down on a criminal organization that is wreaking havoc across the continent.
Venezuelan authorities did not provide details about the casualties or how much damage was caused to the prison.
The massive raid may also be an attempt to project a strongman image after the recent humiliation of an operation against dissident elements of the Farc rebel group. from Colombia.
When the President sent Venezuelan soldiers to dismantle the drug trafficking infrastructure that the Farc had created inside Venezuela, eight soldiers were captured and the forces had to hastily retreat.
It was the largest security operation ever ordered by Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's president, during his 11 years in power. Photo: Ariana Cubillos/AP
“This could explain the apparent surplus of forces with Operation Tocoron: Maduro clearly did not want further defeats and humiliations,” said InSight Crime.
The president also faces elections next year. After years of sanctions and disgrace, primarily from the United States, he is seeking to regain some legitimacy in the eyes of the world. One way to achieve this could be to crack down on the notorious prison.
Tank-like armored vehicles were seen roaring into the prison, some of which are painted white and identified as ambulances. Photo: Yuri Cortes/AFP
Experts warn this is unlikely to be the end of the Tren de Aragua criminal network, which has around 5,000 members and is one of the most powerful in Latin America.
Dr Christopher Sabatini, Latin America expert at the London School Economy and Chatham House, said the chronically overcrowded prison had for years been subject to the «law of the jungle» where harsh justice was meted out by inmates rather than by prison guards.
Control of the site, about 100 miles from Caracas, was seized by 11,000 soldiers and police. Photo: Yuri Cortes/AFP
In addition to bars and a nightclub, there was even a brothel.
“It became the command and control center for these criminal networks,” he told the Telegraph. «It was a devil's bargain: the prison staff left the prisoners alone,» Dr. Sabatini said.
“You have to understand that Venezuela is not a normally functioning state. There is massive complicity between the state and criminal gangs. There are ministers and government officials who are deeply involved in the drug trade. There is a culture of impunity and crime. This is by no means the only prison in Venezuela run by prisoners.»
There were reports of violent clashes and injuries, both security forces and prisoners. Photo: Yuri Cortes/AFP
He is skeptical that the raid will mean the end of the Tren de Aragua gang. “I think we'll see a balloon effect where you put pressure on one side and it just pops out on the other side. It is impossible to imagine that it will be completely eradicated.»
Ronna Risques, author of Tren de Aragua: the gang that revolutionized organized crime in Latin America, told the BBC: «Their operations center is closed , but the leaders of this organization and its cells located outside of Venezuela can continue to work.”
“The fact that Tocoron is closed does not mean that Tren de Aragua is liquidated.”< /p>
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