Venezuela confirms arrest of siege prison governors

[Judi Lynn]

Source: BBC News

Venezuela confirms arrest of siege prison governors
28 June 2011 Last updated at 06:22 ET

Venezuelan authorities have confirmed that two high-ranking officers at a jail near Caracas have been arrested on suspicion of arms and drugs-smuggling.

The men, along with a National Guard captain, are accused of smuggling weapons into El Rodeo prison.

Twenty people died when rioting broke out in the prison earlier this month, leading to an ongoing stand-off between prisoners and security forces.

Armed inmates are holding some 1,000 other prisoners hostage, officials say.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13939019

[Judi Lynn]

1. Venezuela prison siege: El Rodeo directors arrested

Venezuela prison siege: El Rodeo directors arrested
Pair taken into custody on drugs and arms trafficking charges amid two-week standoff at notorious jail
Tom Phillips guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 28 June 2011 16.25 BST

Two weeks after deadly rioting sparked an ongoing siege in Venezuela's notorious El Rodeo jail, authorities say they have arrested two of the prison's directors on drug and arms trafficking charges.

Luisa Ortega Díaz, head of Venezuela's public prosecutor, said Luis Rafael Aranguren, the director of the El Rodeo 2 unit, and Rubén José González Heredia, the vice-director of the El Rodeo 1 unit, had been taken into custody.

Heredia is accused of "facilitating" the entry of guns, explosives and drugs into the prison, while Aranguren faces corruption and gun-running charges.

Violence at the El Rodeo complex, just outside of Caracas, began on 12 June, with clashes between rival gangs leaving at least 22 dead.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/28/venezuela-prison-siege-el-rodeo-arrest