US Offers $12 Million Reward for Information on Tren de Aragua Gang Leaders

Tren de Aragua co-founder Yohan Jose Romero, also known as Johan Petrica, in an undated photo made public by the U.S government. Courtesy of the U.S. Department of State

The United States is offering financial rewards totaling $12 million for information on three leaders of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, a notorious transnational criminal organization.

In a statement released on July 11, the U.S. Department of State said the rewards will be provided to anyone able to offer information leading to the arrest and/or conviction in any country.

The three leaders of Tren de Aragua—originally a prison gang that has since grown into a transnational criminal organization—are identified as main leader Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero, also known as Niño Guerrero; co-founder Yohan Jose Romero, also known as Johan Petrica; and Giovanny San Vicente, also known as El Viejo.

According to the State Department, up to $5 million is being offered for information on Niño Guerrero, up to $4 million for Johan Petrica, and up to $3 million for El Viejo.

Last year, Niño Guerrero escaped from the Tocoron prison in Venezuela along with other gang leaders just before Venezuelan police raided Tocoron in search of him and other leaders. Authorities believe that they escaped through a vast tunnel network.

Through collaboration with the Colombian National Police, the U.S. government suspects Niño Guerrero and El Viejo are currently residing in Colombia, while Johan Petrica is believed to be in Venezuela.

“Over the past six years, Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero has expanded the group’s criminal network throughout South America and recently extended north into Central America and the United States,” the State Department said in the statement.

These rewards are being offered in coordination with the FBI’s joint effort with the Colombian government and the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Tren de Aragua Labeled a Transnational Threat

Also on July 11, OFAC designated Tren de Aragua as a “significant” transnational criminal organization for participating in various criminal activities over the past few years throughout the Western Hemisphere.

“Today’s designation ... underscores the escalating threat it poses to American communities,” Brian Nelson, undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement issued by the Treasury Department on July 11.

“As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to target Transnational Criminal Organizations, we will deploy all tools and authorities against organizations like Tren de Aragua that prey on vulnerable populations to generate revenue, engage in a range of criminal activities across borders, and abuse the U.S. financial system.”

A group of Republican lawmakers—led by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.)—have long been urging President Joe Biden to make such a designation.

“This designation is crucial to effectively mobilize national awareness as a result of this threat, as well as deploy necessary resources and sanctions that will help to curb the escalating crime and violence threatening communities across the United States,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to President Biden in March.

“Heinous crimes committed by the Tren de Aragua, like the rapes of multiple children and the murders of retired police officer José Luis Sánchez Valera and nursing student Laken Riley, must stop.”

What Is Tren de Aragua?

Tren de Aragua, known in English as the Aragua Train, is considered the largest criminal organization in Venezuela, with more than 5,000 members.

Formed more than a decade ago, the gang traditionally operated out of the Tocorón prison in the Venezuelan state of Aragua, about 80 miles southwest of Caracas. The gang’s sphere of influence gradually extended beyond the prison walls, first by extorting businesses in Venezuela.

Besides extortion, the gang engages in a variety of criminal activities but primarily focuses on drug and human trafficking and money laundering.

Some U.S. politicians and U.S. immigration officials have raised fears that Tren de Aragua could be operating in the United States.

According to a report released by the U.S. House of Representatives on April 16, Tren de Aragua members have been released into the United States despite previous convictions for violent crimes and gang affiliation.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant charged in the February murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, was released into the United States “despite his reported affiliation with the dangerous Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua,” lawmakers said in the report.

A supporter holds a sign with a photo of Laken Riley before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Rome, Ga., on March 9, 2024. Mike Stewart/AP Photo

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Mr. Ibarra was released into the United States in September 2022 after entering the United States illegally from Venezuela.

Mr. Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.

Additionally, U.S. prosecutors have also accused his brother, Diego Ibarra, of being a member of Tren de Aragua. He is currently being held on immigration violations.

Members of the notorious gang have also been active in other places, including New York and Illinois.

At least two of the suspects in the Jan. 27 attack on two police officers in New York City’s Times Square—Wilson Juarez, 21, and Kelvin Servita-Arocha, 19—are illegal immigrants and confirmed members of the gang.

On March 25, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Chicago reported the arrest of Adelvis Rodriguez-Carmona, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant identified by ICE as a Tren de Aragua gang member.

The FBI recently warned Venezuelans to report Tren de Aragua gang members, offering them anonymity through the FBI’s 1-800-CALL-FBI tipline.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News