The US government has officially designated Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Gang, along with its leader Hector Rustenford Guerrero Flores and five other affiliates, as a significant threat due to their involvement in various illegal activities. This announcement came on Thursday.
The Treasury Department identified Tren de Aragua as a major danger to public safety across the Western Hemisphere, highlighting their connections to drug trafficking, extortion, human smuggling, money laundering, and the sexual exploitation of women and children, among other crimes.
“Today’s actions underscore the crucial roles of figures like Niño Guerrero and his associates,” the Treasury stated in their announcement.
“The Trump administration is committed to preventing Tren de Aragua from instilling fear in our communities and harming innocent Americans,” a spokesperson noted. “Aligned with President Trump’s goal of ensuring safety in America, the Treasury Department is focused on dismantling Tren de Aragua and countering their violent operations.”
Tren de Aragua was previously labeled a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department on February 20th.
Along with Guerrero Flores, the sanctions also target Johann Jose Romero, Josuet Angel Santana Pena, Wilmer Jose Perez Castillo, Wendy Marbury’s Rios Gomez, and Felix Anner Castillo, all linked to the Ministry of Finance.
The sanctions imposed on Thursday block any assets and profits tied to the six individuals, as well as any entities they own in which they hold a stake of over 50%.
The Treasury Department indicates that Jose Romero, a relative of Guerrero Flores, is heavily involved in Tren de Aragua’s illegal mining operations in Venezuela and provides military-grade weapons to various criminal groups.
Additionally, the State Department has set up a reward program offering up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Guerrero Flores.
