For the residents of the Cota 905, an impoverished community in the centre of Caracas, the most powerful man in the country is not President Maduro.
Instead, it is ‘Koki’, a gang leader believed to have made a fortune through kidnapping and extortion 🇻🇪 thetimes.co.uk/article/el-kok…
Instead, it is ‘Koki’, a gang leader believed to have made a fortune through kidnapping and extortion 🇻🇪 thetimes.co.uk/article/el-kok…
The Maduro government, distracted by its own chaotic battle for survival, used to quietly ignore the growing influence of the gangster on its doorstep.
But this year, after Koki’s network began expanding, it took action.
But this year, after Koki’s network began expanding, it took action.
Posters were distributed, offering half a million dollars for information leading to the arrest of the gang leader
A rare photograph was released showing him snarling at the camera, with a military haircut and three thick gold chains
A rare photograph was released showing him snarling at the camera, with a military haircut and three thick gold chains
“Koki became a quasi-government in the areas he controlled”, said Javier Mayorca, a Venezuelan expert on organised crime. “By 2019, you could not do social work in the Cota 905 without first asking permission from him”, he said
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