Five members of the criminal gang founded by Yohanny Machuca (El Peón) and based in the San José neighborhood, south of Zaraza, Guárico, were killed during an armed confrontation, according to police sources.
Since early Wednesday morning, a Rapid Reaction Unit, made up of military agents and officials from the Guárico regional police, was deployed in the San José, Carlos Andrés Pérez and Brisas de Unerg sectors, areas of influence of the aforementioned criminal gang.
One of those killed was El Pepón, the leader of the group, military sources said. Also killed in the confrontation was First Sergeant of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) Francisco José Zamora Pérez, after being hit in the neck.
The joint police-military commission continues its deployment to find the other members of the criminal gang.
The Pepón gang is dedicated to collecting taxes in dollars from medium and small agricultural producers from Zaraza and the surrounding hamlets, where field workers make their living.
According to police reports, the criminal group includes Yordanis José Adamez Rojas, Arnoldo Ledezma, Luis Fernández, Rafael Morales, José Zacaria, José Aristóbal González and Jean Suárez.
