Trump administration cracks down on Tren de Aragua with over 70 indictments

Federal prosecutors unsealed sweeping terrorism and racketeering fees Thursday in opposition to greater than 70 members of Tren de Aragua (TdA) — a fast escalation of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on a overseas cartel that officers say has pushed violence, chaos and transnational crime into the U.S.

The gang members are accused of committing violent crimes together with homicide, extortion, theft, kidnapping, cash laundering and drug trafficking in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas and New York.

Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi stated the crackdown displays the directive she issued in the beginning of the Trump administration to prioritize the dismantling of violent transnational teams.

“Instantly upon taking workplace, I directed the Division of Justice to vigorously pursue the entire eradication of cartels and transnational prison organizations,” she stated. “This newest spherical of indictments in opposition to a number of states underscores the Trump Administration’s unwavering dedication to revive public security, dismantle violent trafficking networks, and rid our nation of Tren de Aragua terrorists.”

HOMELAND SECURITY ANNOUNCES THE FIRST-OF-ITS TASK FORCE FOCUSED ON FIGHTING TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME

The Division of Justice (DOJ) stated a federal grand jury in Colorado had indicted two alleged TdA leaders on fees together with RICO conspiracy.

The indictment alleges that the defendants dedicated crimes for TdA between Might 2024 and March 2025 by a sample of racketeering, together with theft, extortion, cash laundering and drug offenses.

The 2 defendants have additionally been charged with conspiracy to commit theft, two counts of Hobbs Act theft and firearms offenses associated to armed robberies of two Denver jewellery shops in June 2024.

US ACCUSES VENEZUELAN REGIME OF NARCO-TERRORISM OVER ALLIANTS WITH TREN DE ARAGUA AND SINALOA CARTEL

Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang robbed an house constructing in Aurora, Colorado, demanding lease in alternate for “safety.” (Edward Romero/Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky)

In Nebraska, a federal grand jury has returned two indictments in opposition to 54 folks, some with ties to TdA, for guiding and facilitating a scheme to make use of malware to steal hundreds of thousands of {dollars} from U.S. banks by hacking into ATMs.

Some defendants are additionally charged with offering materials assist for terrorism and with conspiracy to commit cash laundering, financial institution fraud, financial institution housebreaking, and laptop fraud and abuse.

A federal grand jury in New Mexico has indicted 11 alleged TdA members and leaders on racketeering fees. The suspects are accused of kidnapping, interrogating and strangling a sufferer in an Albuquerque house earlier than burying his physique in a distant desert grave, the DOJ stated.

TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

Suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador, together with 238 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and 23 members of the MS-13 gang. (Presidium of El Salvador / Handout/Anadolu by way of Getty Photos)

Prosecutors additionally allege that a number of defendants had been concerned in an armed confrontation at an house advanced in Aurora, Colorado, the place rival teams exchanged gunfire and one particular person was killed.

As prosecutors laid out the costs Thursday, Deputy Legal professional Normal Todd Blanche stated the cartel’s attain into American communities underscores why federal authorities are escalating their pursuit.

“Tren de Aragua is a terrorist cartel that’s exploiting our borders to carry homicide, medication and chaos to American communities,” Blanche stated. “This division is crushing their management, dismantling their networks, and slicing off their cash in the US. There might be no secure haven right here. Should you cross our border to commit violent crimes, we’ll discover you, prosecute you, and lock you up.”

US designates COLOMBIA’S CLAN DEL GOLFO as a terrorist group, citing narcotics trafficking

Prosecutors have opened fees in New York in opposition to Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, often known as “Nino Guerrero,” in reference to a management position in TdA in North America, South America and Europe.

The DOJ stated Guerrero Flores was the gang’s chief or co-leader for greater than a decade, describing him because the mastermind behind TdA’s enlargement throughout the Western Hemisphere.

“Whereas working from Venezuela and elsewhere, Guerrero Flores ordered, directed, facilitated, and supported acts of violence and terrorism that transcended nationwide boundaries, together with assassinations, kidnappings, extortions, and mutilations of victims inside and outdoors the US, and facilitated the transportation of tons of cocaine from Venezuela to the US,” the DOJ press launch stated.

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Suspected juvenile Tren de Aragua members had been housed in a former shelter in New York Metropolis and allegedly attacked folks in Occasions Sq. throughout a collection of robberies. (Obtained by the New York Publish)

Guerrero Flores is at present at giant and the State Division is providing a $5 million reward for data resulting in his arrest and/or conviction.

In Texas, federal prosecutors unsealed a six-count superseding indictment charging 4 Venezuelan nationals with conspiracy to offer materials assist to TdA and with conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Colombia for distribution within the US.

In response to court docket data, two of the Venezuelan nationals are high leaders of TdA, one in all which is alleged to train command and management over all the gang’s prison operations.

The opposite two suspects are high-ranking TdA members working from a number of South American nations and conducting direct operations, together with gold smuggling, narcotics exports and violent crimes, the DOJ alleged.

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FBI Director Kash Patel stated the company is treating the group as a significant nationwide safety concern as it really works with companions throughout the nation.

“The FBI is dedicated to investigating members of violent transnational gangs whose actions violate our legal guidelines and endanger American lives,” he stated. “The existence of TdA is a direct menace to our nationwide safety, and we is not going to enable such a harmful prison group to take root in our communities. Along with our regulation enforcement companions at each stage, we’re working to carry these ruthless criminals to justice.”