
The leader of one of Venezuela’s most prominent gangs, known as “Wilexis,” has been killed by authorities, ending a six-year manhunt for a crime boss whose opposition to the government put him in the crosshairs.
On January 22, 2025, officers from the Scientific, Criminal, and Forensic Investigations Corps (CICPC) killed Wilexis Acevedo Monasterios during an operation in Filas de Mariche, Sucre municipality, Miranda State, according to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
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“One of the individuals who has caused the most harm to the residents of Sucre and Caracas has fallen,” said Cabello while announcing Wilexis’s death.
Acevedo was wanted for multiple crimes, including extortion, kidnapping, robbery, and retail drug trafficking. President Nicolás Maduro’s regime had placed a $150,000 bounty for information on his whereabouts.
Wilexis became a prime target of the Venezuelan regime in 2019 after standing up to police repression during anti-Maduro protests, defending residents of the José Félix Ribas neighborhood in Petare. His gang clashed with law enforcement, earning him a place on the regime’s list of public enemies. Despite this, Wilexis evaded capture for years, surviving numerous operations against him.
InSight Crime Analysis
Like other criminal leaders and groups, such as Carlos Capa and the Tren del Llano, which have been killed or persecuted by Venezuelan authorities in recent years, Wilexis was targeted not only for his criminal activities but also for his opposition to the government.
Since 2017, Wilexis had consolidated criminal control over the José Félix Ribas neighborhood, exploiting the absence of state governance. He became a “Robin Hood” figure, acting as a community judge, distributing gifts to children, providing government-subsidized food boxes to needy families, and ensuring local security. These actions, which earned him community support, were made possible by the complicity of corrupt local police, according to interviews by InSight Crime.
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After becoming a state target in 2019 for his actions against the regime, authorities began associating Wilexis with the Venezuelan opposition as well as the governments of Colombia and the United States as part of a strategy to justify operations against him. In 2020, Maduro accused him — without evidence — of collaborating with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In 2024, following protests over the contested presidential election results, the regime linked him to “comanditos” allegedly organized by opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Wilexis’s death adds to a growing list of criminals targeted for failing to align with the ruling powers, contrasting with the regime’s protection of criminal actors like the colectivos and Cupaz that help maintain control over communities.
Featured Image: Last known photograph of alias “Wilexis,” released by Venezuelan authorities following confirmation of his death. Credit: CICPC Press.