SUMMARY

The Maracaibo National Prison, also known as Sabaneta prison, was a prison located in the city of Maracaibo in western Venezuela. Former Sabaneta inmates refers to a group of prisoners that in 1997 were transferred from Sabaneta prison to El Dorado prison in eastern Venezuela and northwestern Venezuela. According to Venezuelan officials, the group was transferred to the prison, which lay far away from their families, as a punishment. After arriving at El Dorado prison, the Former Sabaneta inmates clashed with a rival gang consisting of long-term inmates of El Dorado prison.