Additional Coverage:
DOJ Cracks Down on Tren de Aragua with Sweeping Indictments
Washington D.C. – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced a major crackdown on the Tren de Aragua, a group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, with indictments targeting key members across five states.
According to a DOJ release issued Thursday, the Tren de Aragua has been implicated in a wide array of violent crimes both within and outside the United States, including murder, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, and drug trafficking.
A total of 70 indictments have been handed down by U.S. Attorney offices in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, and Texas. This recent action brings the total number of federally indicted Tren de Aragua members to over 260 since January 20, 2025.
Among those charged is the alleged leader of Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores. He faces charges of racketeering, terrorism, drug importation, and firearm offenses in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated, “As alleged, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores has been the mastermind of Tren de Aragua’s evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organization that committed countless acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking all over North America, South America and Europe.”
The organization is also suspected of conspiring with drug cartels and other criminal groups to commit crimes globally.