Chilean Justice Ministry issues sentence reductions for Tren de Aragua-linked extortionists

The Chilean Ministry of Justice has faced scrutiny following the issuance of sentence reductions for three Venezuelan nationals linked to the Tren de Aragua gang. The individuals—Franyorkin Aramburu Hernández, Winder Marott Morán, and Jhonder Ollarves Berbesi—were involved in a December 2021 extortion attempt in La Serena. During the incident, the group entered a residence and used firearms to demand $50,000 from each of the eight victims, who were migrant sex workers.

While the group was convicted of robbery with intimidation and illegal possession of firearms, prosecutors were unable to secure convictions for organized crime affiliation or kidnapping due to witness intimidation. In August 2022, the men were sentenced to five years and one day in prison.

Recent decrees signed by Justice Minister Fernando Rabat and acting Minister Luis Silva have granted sentence reductions to the men. Aramburu received a nine-month reduction, while Marott and Ollarves received three months each. The Ministry justified these decisions using the ‘Doctrina Rabat,’ citing legal precedents that prevent the Ministry from denying benefits based solely on the gravity of a crime if legal requirements are met.