Federal marshals arrested Rafael Enrique Gámez Salas, a Venezuelan national known as “El Turko,” in Los Angeles last Wednesday, March 11, officials said. Chile is asking the United States to send him south to face charges tied to kidnappings, extortion, and a high-profile killing in Santiago.
DOJ lays out a heavy case
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Chile is seeking Gámez Salas’s extradition on seven counts: criminal association, two counts of extortion, two counts of unjustified firearm discharge, one count of kidnapping resulting in homicide, and one count of kidnapping for extortion. The extradition complaint alleges he directed multiple kidnappings and extortion schemes on behalf of the Tren de Aragua network, and that his arrest in Los Angeles was carried out at Chile’s request.
Alleged mastermind of Chile’s 'Los Piratas' cell
Chilean prosecutors say Gámez Salas ran “Los Piratas,” a local Tren de Aragua cell accused of coordinating kidnappings, extortion, and other violent crimes across Santiago as part of a broader international criminal structure, as reported by El País. Local court filings describe how the February 2024 abduction of a former Venezuelan lieutenant allegedly involved suspects posing as investigators, forcing their way in, and later concealing the victim in concrete. Investigators say intercepted messages and testimony trace the orders back to leadership abroad, according to BioBioChile.
How the arrest went down in LA
U.S. Marshals executed a provisional arrest warrant by transferring Gámez Salas from Federal Bureau of Prisons custody into Marshals custody in the Central District of California. He then appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick and was ordered detained. Prosecutors from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California are handling the extradition proceedings, and the Justice Department notes that similar transfers of Tren de Aragua suspects have already occurred, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
What comes next in the extradition fight
Chile must now formally submit its extradition request, after which U.S. courts will decide whether to transfer Gámez Salas. The process can stretch over weeks or months and leaves room for legal challenges. Authorities in the United States and Chile have already coordinated in previous Tren de Aragua cases, and Chilean prosecutors say they will seek to put Gámez Salas on trial for the counts listed in their complaint, according to BioBioChile.
