by Daniela Gonzalez, The Organic Prepper:
There is a silent acceptance at a global scale of the Venezuelan regime’s collaboration with gangs and guerrillas in smuggling and violence.
In a harrowing incident that shocked social media users worldwide, Gabriel Jesús Sarmiento, a young Venezuelan influencer known for his bold denunciations of organized crime, was brutally murdered during a live TikTok broadcast. The killing, which unfolded in real time before his followers, underscores the extreme dangers faced by whistleblowers in societies where state institutions have failed to protect their citizens. Sarmiento’s assassination is not an isolated tragedy but a stark reflection of what happens when criminal organizations operate with impunity, and security forces are either unwilling or unable to intervene.
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This article examines the circumstances of Sarmiento’s murder, the criminal groups he dared to challenge, and the broader implications for Venezuela. In this nation, the collapse of law and order allowed gangs like El Tren de Aragua to flourish. To thrive enough to expand to other countries, working as a de facto militia to undermine the stability of those nations.
We know for certain there is an alliance between these gangs and the Cartel de los Soles.
The Live-Streamed Assassination
In the early hours of Monday morning on Jun 23rd (2025), Gabriel Sarmiento was broadcasting live from his home in Maracay, Venezuela, when armed assailants stormed in and shot him multiple times.
Warning – DISTURBING CONTENT! The video, which quickly went viral, shows the moment the attackers entered his room, followed by screams from a woman off-camera pleading for help.
Sarmiento had gained a following for his fearless critiques of El Tren de Aragua and El Tren del Llano, two of Venezuela’s most notorious criminal syndicates. He also accused government officials of colluding with these gangs, naming specific police officers and even addressing El Niño Guerrero, the alleged leader of El Tren de Aragua, directly.
“We are full of corrupt officials who work with common criminals,” Sarmiento declared during his final livestream. “I want a better Aragua for everyone. Those responsible walk free while I’m forced into hiding—it’s absurd.”
His murder highlights the perils faced by activists and journalists in Venezuela, where speaking out against powerful criminal networks can be a death sentence.
The Rise of El Tren de Aragua
What began as a prison gang in the Tocorón Penitentiary in the early 2000s has since evolved into a transnational criminal empire. El Tren de Aragua (The Aragua Train) now operates across Latin America, engaging in drug trafficking, human smuggling, illegal mining, and extortion. Despite a high-profile raid on Tocorón in September 2023—where over 11,000 special forces agents were deployed—the group’s top leaders, including El Niño Guerrero, remain at large.
The Venezuelan illegal regime led by the former bus driver Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly denied the existence of such criminal organizations, dismissing them as foreign propaganda. However, the U.S. government has labeled El Tren de Aragua a terrorist threat, vowing to deport its members from American soil.
This is the same gang, incidentally, that has a presence in the United States and has violently taken over apartment buildings.
A Society in Freefall
Sarmiento’s murder is emblematic of Venezuela’s broader societal collapse, where:
- The State Has Failed Its Citizens
– Security forces are either complicit with criminals or powerless to stop them.
– Corruption runs deep, with officials allegedly protecting gangs like El Tren de Aragua.
- Journalists and Activists Are Silenced
– Those who expose crime risk assassination, as seen with Sarmiento.
– The lack of justice creates a climate of fear, discouraging others from speaking out.
- Criminal Networks Fill the Power Vacuum
– With no effective law enforcement, gangs establish their own rules.
– Extortion, kidnappings, and violence become normalized.
- The International Community Looks On
– Neighboring countries struggle to contain the spillover of Venezuelan crime.
– Yet, the M–duro regime continues to downplay the crisis, and keeps denying actively any involvement with the Cartel or their executive branch, TDA, despite all the evidence.
– Even worse, the ties with the Iranian Ayatollah’s theocracy, including the Uranium supplying to manufacture nuclear weapons, are still intact. One can only imagine how bad this situation can evolve in a country only 2,000 km away from the US shore.
A Call for Justice—But Will It Come?
Authorities have opened an investigation into Sarmiento’s murder, but few expect accountability in a system where criminals and officials are often intertwined. His death has reignited debates about the dangers of digital activism in authoritarian regimes and the urgent need for international pressure on Venezuela to address its security crisis.
For now, El Tren de Aragua continues to expand, exploiting weak institutions and desperate migrants. Sarmiento’s voice may have been silenced, but his story serves as a grim warning of what happens when a society abandons its citizens to lawlessness.
Read More @ TheOrganicPrepper.ca
Originally Posted at https://www.sgtreport.com