Costa Rica Arrests Suspect in High-Profile Venezuelan Kidnapping and Murder Case
Extradition Process Initiated for Maickel Villegas Rodríguez
International Cooperation and Controversies
The Costa Rican justice system has ordered the provisional arrest of Maickel Villegas Rodríguez, a suspect in the kidnapping and homicide of a former Venezuelan military officer, Ronald Ojeda. Ojeda, an opposition figure to the Government of Nicolás Maduro, had political asylum in Chile and was found dead in March, buried under cement in a suitcase in Santiago. Villegas was detained last Friday in Paso Canoas, on the border with Panama, when immigration police detected an international arrest request against him.
Mario Zamora, Minister of Public Security of Costa Rica, highlighted the arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court of the Judicial Circuit of San José. This judicial resolution establishes arrest for up to two months, in accordance with articles seven and nine of the Extradition Law. Following his arrest, the Chilean Foreign Ministry, headed by Alberto van Klaveren, began the procedures for Villegas' extradition, while the Court of Appeals of Santiago accepted the request for 'prior detention' to prevent his release in Costa Rica.
The Chilean Prosecutor's Office had issued two arrest warrants in March, targeting Villegas and another suspect, Walter Rodríguez Pérez. Both have been linked to the Aragua Train, a criminal organization, and identified as suspects in Ojeda's kidnapping and murder. The authorities have also requested the Maduro Government's cooperation in locating and extraditing the suspects, a move that has sparked controversies between Chile and Venezuela.
In response to Villegas' arrest, Tarek William Saab, the attorney general of Venezuela, confirmed the full identification of Maickel Villegas and indicated that Venezuela would cooperate with Chilean authorities. Saab criticized the Chilean Public Ministry for what he described as an 'unethical and weak investigation,' suggesting that the Chilean authorities might manipulate Villegas' statement to frame Venezuela.
The investigation into Ojeda's murder remains classified as 'reserved' in Chile. Ojeda was abducted from his apartment in Santiago by individuals posing as Chilean Investigative Police officers. His body was discovered on March 1, buried under cement. The crime's motive is still under investigation, but political motives have not been ruled out due to Ojeda's opposition to the Maduro regime.
