The Carlos Capa gang, which is named for the alias of its leader Deiber Johan González, is one of the oldest surviving criminal gangs in Valles del Tuy, a strategic region located south of Caracas, in the state of Miranda.
The group rose to fame in a violent region characterized by the proliferation of many small gangs, among which it has stood out for its ability to build alliances and eliminate rivals when necessary. This, added to the support it receives form local communities and its ability to hide in mountainous areas, have allowed it to elude attacks by security forces for more than a decade.
History
Carlos Capa grew up in San Francisco de Yare, capital of the municipality of Simón Bolívar, in the heart of Valles del Tuy. It did not take long before he was taking his first steps in a life of crime. Since 2009, he has been charged with homicide and the illegal possession of firearms and drugs, according to the records of Venezuela's criminal investigation unit (Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas – CICPC).
In his early days, the would-be leader built his power by associating with other criminals. After forming a gang called the Rompe, he established alliances with Haisel Javier Rivas Tovar, alias “Diente de Oro,” a major criminal leader from San Francisco de Yare, as well as with Kelvin Saúl Yánez Muñoz, alias “Saulito.” Saulito, the son of Saúl Yánez, who was elected Simón Bolivar’s mayor in 2008, would later join with Capa to form their own gang.
In July 2015, Yánez Jr. was assassinated while celebrating his birthday party at a home in San Francisco de Yare in an attack allegedly ordered by Carlos Capa and Diente de Oro. Later that year, Diente de Oro died in a confrontation with CICPC officials, leaving Carlos Capa as the group’s sole leader.
After the death of his son, in August 2015, mayor Yánez supported the Operation for the Liberation of the People (OLP) in San Francisco de Yare and its surroundings, which targeted the Carlos Capa gang. Nearly 500 officials were deployed, and at least three members of the gang were arrested, although Capa managed to escape.
This marked the beginning of a series of major operations against the group, which have continued to the present day. In September 2022, after Capa was supposedly responsible for the assassination of a local police officer, nearly 900 security officials took part in Operation Thunder IV, which led to the deaths of several alleged criminals and dozens of arrests.
Security forces managed to arrest and kill several lieutenants and other members of the gang during such operations, but Carlos Capa has shown significant resilience in the face of these blows.
Despite police pressure, Carlos Capa's gang has consolidated in San Francisco de Yare, and, by allying with other gangs and assassinating criminals leaders who have opposed it, has expanded its criminal domain to other areas of Valles del Tuy, such as Ocumare del Tuy.
Leadership
Carlos Capa's leadership within his group is unquestionable. He represents a unique example of longevity among the Valles de Tuy’s criminal leaders, managing to evade the actions of the security forces for years and avoiding being dethroned by his own men. Capa has survived thanks in part to his ability to form alliances with other criminal leaders, but also by acting ruthlessly to eliminate his rivals, as evidenced by videos he has published of the executions of his enemies. The death of Saulito established a clear warning for those who tried to dispute his power within the gang.
In recent years, several of Carlos Capa's lieutenants have been detained or killed by security forces. While this has weakened the gang, it has also prevented the rise of internal commanders who may have been able to challenge Capa's power.
Geography
As a result of his strong ties to the community and the consolidation of his criminal leadership, Carlos Capa exercises extensive control in various sectors of the Valles del Tuy subregion, especially in the municipalities of Simón Bolívar and Lander, but also in Cristóbal Rojas and Independencia.
Carlos Capa regularly uses cambuches (makeshift homes) in the mountainous areas between San Francisco de Yare and Ocumare del Tuy to hide or flee from his criminal rivals and security forces. This has been a key factor in how he has avoided being captured or killed by the authorities.
Criminal Activities
One of the main forms of income of the Carlos Capa gang is the collection of extortion payments from merchants, agricultural and industrial producers, and companies that carry out construction work in the territories it controls. Various sources indicate that members of the gang also extort the Local Supply and Production Committees (Comités Locales de Alimentos y Producción – CLAP), which distribute boxes of subsidized food, taking a percentage of the products to later resell or to use themselves.
The gang is also behind many of the scams through Facebook's Marketplace platform. There, they lure victims to Valles del Tuy using fraudulent promises of second-hand vehicles for sale below the market price. Once the victims arrive, the gang members rob them and kidnap them until their relatives or relatives pay a ransom. Those who resist pay with their lives.
Homicides against criminal rivals, police officers, and civilians are also commonly committed by the gang, as are thefts of vehicles and other property.
To achieve their nefarious ends, the gang employs a large arsenal of weapons that includes rifles and grenades.
Allies and Enemies
Over the years, members of the Carlos Capa gang have assassinated several police officers, which has caused security forces to intensify the operations against them. Capa himself is considered one of the most-wanted criminals in the state of Miranda.
Despite this, the group has recruited important police officials as allies. During the execution of Operation Thunder IV, Simón Bolívar police director Patricia Eliana Rodríguez López and Osmer Israel González Suárez, the chief of police operations of the municipality of Urdaneta in Miranda, were both arrested for their links to the gang.
The media has reported that Capa is an ally of the Tren de Aragua, the most powerful criminal gang in Venezuela. In September 2017, Carlos Capa is believed to have held a meeting with members of the Tren de Aragua. However, the nature of this alliance and whether it is still active is unknown. Carlos Capa has also established alliances with small gangs from San Francisco de Yare and Ocumare del Tuy, which have been of vital importance to his operations and survival.
Prospects
Despite successful operations against other gangs in Valles del Tuy, Venezuelan authorities have failed to neutralize Carlos Capa's criminal group. The leader has important ties to members of the communities where he operates, uses mountainous areas to hide, and has also established relationships with local police officials, which has allowed him to evade the authorities' actions against him.
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