The thread of the Chilean Prosecutor’s Office investigation—which led to the biggest financial blow against Tren de Aragua in Latin America on June 2—began on a Tuesday in July 2024, during the holiday of the Virgin of Carmen. Five people—four men and one woman—were gunned down during an underground party that had started the previous night at a rural property in Lampa, about 40 kilometers north of Santiago.
This was one of two mass killings that week, events that dealt a blow to the administration of Gabriel Boric (2022–2026). When police arrived at the scene—located in a rural area known for weekend getaway homes—they found the mobile phone of Bárbara Hernández, alias “Barbie.” It contained key information that, two years later, enabled the arrest of 19 individuals, including two Venezuelan bank executives.
These executives had helped launder and move more than $85 million out of Chile between 2022 and 2025—funds obtained through kidnapping, drug trafficking, the sexual exploitation of women, and the smuggling of stolen cars. That bloody party was merely the tip of the iceberg; it revealed the mechanism Tren de Aragua used to extort nightlife business owners, who were forced to pay the gang to organize events or face attack.
Specifically, the party on that fateful July 16 took place against the backdrop of an event held without Tren de Aragua’s permission. This was explained by Prosecutor Héctor Barros, who is leading the formalization hearing for the investigation against the accused—proceedings that began this Sunday in a courtroom at the Justice Center in Santiago.
The Investigative Police (PDI) have dubbed the investigation “Operation Tokyo,” named after a nightclub called “Tokyo” that operated inside the Tocorón prison in Venezuela—the birthplace of the criminal organization.
Barros explained that the party held in Lampa two years ago was originally intended to take place in San Ramón, a municipality in southern Santiago. “However, the victim [a Chilean man] refused, and they went and fired shots at his home’s gate. More than 12 bullet impacts were left on the gate. Furthermore, he received threats via video regarding the possibility of grenades being thrown at him.” Another merchant in Concepción, in south-central Chile, had his car shot at 12 times.
