The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) declared the appeal presented by the defense of Alis María Montenegro Ibáñezidentified by the Public Ministry (MP) as the leader of a structure in Barrio 18 dedicated to the recruitment of adolescents to enter prison centers, where they were victims of sexual exploitation.
According to the MP, with this resolution the decision is firm that Montenegro faces oral and public debate. The trial is scheduled to begin next July 27, 2026.
Montenegro was captured on November 20, 2024 at the La Aurora International Airport and remains linked to proceedings for the crimes of human trafficking, in its form of sexual exploitation, and recruitment of minors for organized criminal groups.
Who is Alis Montenegro?
According to the investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office against Human Trafficking, Montenegro was one of the main operators of a criminal structure linked to Barrio 18 that recruited teenagers through deception to transfer them to the Fraijanes prison 2 and to Preventive Detention Center for Men in zone 18.
The investigations indicate that Montenegro had a relationship with Eder Lubanski Ojeda Valenzuelaalias “Only” or “Mango”identified by the National Civil Police (PNC) as the leader of Barrio 18 held in Fraijanes 2 and one of the trusted men of Aldo Duppie Ochoa Mejía, alias “the wolf”.
The investigations detail that this relationship allowed Montenegro to serve as a link between imprisoned gang members, external collaborators and Penitentiary System (SP) guards who facilitated the entry of victims to detention centers.
This is how the structure operated
The case is part of the investigation called Teens in Dangerdismantled by the Prosecutor’s Office against Human Trafficking in March 2024, after an investigation that took three years.
The investigations established that the structure recruited teenagers through deception, false romantic relationships and offers to go out and have fun. However, the minors were transferred to the Fraijanes 2 prisons and the Preventive Prison for Men in zone 18.
According to the file, Montenegro coordinated the transfer of the adolescents with the support of pirate taxi and motorcycle taxi drivers linked to the structure, in addition SP guards allowed the girls and adolescents to spend the night inside the prison centers.
To facilitate the entry of the victims, Montenegro allegedly used altered documentation, including the birth certificate of one of his sisters.
One of the investigators stated that the members of Barrio 18 paid between Q1 thousand and Q1 thousand 500 for each adolescent admitted to prison centers.
The testimonies of the victims
The MP has the testimony of a teenager who told how the structure allowed her to enter the Preventive for Men in zone 18 and stay there for two or three nights.
The victim declared that she and other minors were forced to have sexual relations with members of Barrio 18 within sector 11 of the prison center.
The investigations also document that one of the teenagers was sexually assaulted by 10 gang members in a single day.
Due to these events, they were captured 47 peopleamong them 23 SP guardsaccused of collaborating with the criminal structure to facilitate the entry of adolescent girls into prisons.
Who is alias Mango?
Eder Lubanski Ojeda Valenzuela, alias “Mango” u”“Only”is identified by the National Division against the Criminal Development of Gangs (Dipanda) as one of the ringleaders of Barrio 18 who directed criminal activities from the Fraijanes 2 prison.
Investigations link him to murders, extortion and control of a pirate taxi network that operated in zone 18.
According to investigators, he maintained a close relationship with “the wolf“, and with other leaders of the gang held in Fraijanes 2, with whom he coordinated criminal activities.