Police in Venezuela have killed a notorious gang leader while others are reportedly hiding in Colombia, raising questions about the state of one of Caracas’ most powerful criminal structures and its leader, El Koki.
By InSight Crime
Aug 6, 2021
On August 4, around 50 agents of Venezuela’s Special Actions Forces (Fuerzas de Acciones Especiales – FAES) stormed a residential block in Sucre municipality of Miranda state, where they shot and killed Leonardo José Polanco Angulo, alias “Loco Leo,” the leader of a gang controlling Caracas’ El Valle neighborhood. Loco Leo is a key ally of Carlos Luis Revete, alias “El Koki,” who has long been considered Caracas’ most powerful gang leader.
The shock offensive took place mere days after Interpol Venezuela designated Loco Leo as the country’s second most wanted criminal. FAES commander Miguel Domínguez later reported on Twitter that Polanco Angulo’s mother, wife and sister had been detained in the operation.
The arrests appear to be part of a broader strategy to go after people close to gang leaders. El Koki’s former partner was arrested, as were two relatives of his lieutenant Carlos Calderón Martínez, alias “El Vampi.” Venezuelan media reported that Loco Leo was located by monitoring and triangulating cell phone calls, including those of his family members.
Reports have also emerged that the group’s leaders have fled across the border into the Colombian department of Norte de Santander, though their presence in the region is based on unconfirmed reports from Colombian and Venezuelan police.
InSight Crime Analysis
The death of Loco Leo is a victory for President Nicolás Maduro in his recent offensive against El Koki’s gang members, who no longer feel safe in Caracas.
El Koki’s gang has been battling with authorities since June, when the gang invaded La Vega, a neighborhood of 120,000 people to the southwest of the gang’s stronghold of Cota 905.
The warring came to a head when El Koki’s gunmen opened fire on the central police and intelligence service headquarters in Caracas known as El Helicoide. The brazen July 7 shooting was apparently retaliation for Loco Leo being wounded in a police shootout.
Venezuela’s government responded in full force to the gunfire days later. Some 800 troops raided Cota 905, conducting house-to-house searches amid shootouts with gang members.
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Read More: InSight Crime – Are El Koki and his gang members no longer safe in Venezuela?
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