 He was part of the group of insurgents that organized the prison break that occurred during the night of 15 August 1972.Only six out of 110 were able to make a successful escape; 19 were recaptured and 16 were executed (see Trelew massacre).The successful ones, Gorriarán Merlo among them, fled to Chile, at that time under the Socialist administration of Salvador Allende, and from there were granted safe passage to Cuba.