Tren de Aragua leader charged in Manhattan federal court
by Mark Moran · UPIDec. 18 (UPI) -- The Department of Justice has indicted key members of the Tren de Aragua, which is considered a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
Tren de Aragua has been "linked to various violent crimes inside and outside the United States, including murder, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, and controlled substance trafficking," a release from the DOJ said on Thursday.
The indictments totalled 70 in all and stretched across five U.S. attorney offices in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York and Texas, the DOJ said.
"Since Jan. 20, 2025, the Department has federally indicted over 260 members of TdA," the release continued.
The leader of Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, was charged with racketeering, terrorism, drug importation and firearm offenses in the U.S District Court for Southern New York, a separate DOJ release said.
"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," Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said.
Tren de Aragua is alleged to have conspired with drug cartels and other criminal organizations to commit crimes all over the world.