Yurwin Salazar Maita, a 23-year-old man, has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Jose Luis Sanchez Varela, a Venezuelan man who was found dead inside his car in Doral, Miami. According to Miami-Dade police, the victim was found dead inside his Toyota 4Runner near a street in Doral after being forcibly removed from his vehicle by three suspects dressed in dark clothing.
The arrest warrant also states that a home invasion and robbery was reported at Sanchez Varela’s apartment in Doral, with two armed men stealing jewelry and a safe before fleeing in a silver sedan. The victim’s roommate later tracked Sanchez Varela’s location through a phone app, leading to the discovery of his body tied up in the back seat of the 4Runner.
A medical examiner determined that Sanchez Varela was asphyxiated to death, ruling the death as a homicide. The roommate was able to identify one of the suspects as an acquaintance from Venezuela and reported that the suspects claimed to be part of the “Tren de Aragua”, a gang from Venezuela.
Investigators were able to identify Salazar Maita as a suspect after matching his fingerprints from the 4Runner and obtaining cell phone data showing that he had been at the hotel where the victim was last seen. Salazar Maita, who resides in Pompano Beach, was booked into the Miami-Dade jail and appeared in court, where he was ordered held without bail.
It has not been confirmed if other suspects are being sought or if additional arrests have been made in connection with this case. The alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua, the largest criminal organization in Venezuela, have raised concerns about the activities of this gang in South America and the United States. Authorities have yet to confirm this information.