Trump Admin Hits Tren De Aragua Leaders With Sanctions As Venezuelan Gang Infiltrates U.S.

The Trump administration announced sanctions against the leader of Tren de Aragua and other top lieutenants on Thursday amid a broader effort to choke off the transnational criminal organization’s access to cash.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted six leaders of the Venezuelan gang, which has been designated as a foreign terror organization by the Trump administration, including its leader, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores. Also known as Niño Guerrero, he has led the group as it has evolved from a prison gang into a broader criminal entity with a presence in the United States.

“Today’s action highlights the critical role of leaders like Niño Guerrero and his lieutenants in Tren de Aragua’s efforts to increase its destabilizing influence throughout the region,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The sanctions require that any Tren de Aragua property or funds in the United States, or those controlled by American financial institutions, be frozen and reported to the Treasury, thereby restricting the flow of funds back into the hands of the criminal enterprise.

The Treasury notes that Niño Guerrero has been involved in criminal activity for two decades and has led the criminal group as it has become more influential. The State Department is currently offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Guerrero.

The department also sanctioned Yohan Jose Romero, a “close lieutenant” of Guerrero, who the Trump administration says is “responsible for the group’s illegal mining efforts in Venezuela.”

“Johan Petrica provides Tren de Aragua with military-grade weapons used to control the streets of Venezuela and fight against Colombian guerrillas,” the Treasury Department notes.

​​Also sanctioned is Josue Angel Santana Pena, who “is alleged to be involved in homicide, extortion, bombings, terrorism, and theft,” and Niño Guerrero’s wife, Wendy Marbelys Rios Gomez, who the Treasury Department notes is involved in money laundering, terrorism, and terrorist financing.

The Trump administration also sanctioned Wilmer Jose Perez Castillo, who the Treasury Department said has carried out “murders of a policeman, a Venezuelan military official, and Venezuelan intelligence officials” on behalf of the organization.

Felix Anner Castillo Rondon, the leader of a Tren de Aragua cell operating in Chile, has also been sanctioned. His crew is implicated in a range of crimes, including homicides, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of women, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering.

“The Trump Administration will not allow Tren de Aragua to continue to terrorize our communities and harm innocent Americans. In line with President Trump’s mandate to Make America Safe Again, Treasury remains dedicated to dismantling Tren de Aragua and disrupting the group’s campaign of violence.”

The new sanctions come amid a sweeping effort by the Treasury Department to cut off cash flow to cartels and gangs in an attempt to eliminate the financial incentives that drive the criminal entities’ drug and human trafficking operations.

Members of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Cartel de Noreste, and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion have all been hit with Treasury sanctions since President Donald Trump took office in January.