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Tren de Aragua

Tren de Aragua (English: Aragua Train) is the largest criminal organization in Venezuela, with over 5,000 members. Tren de Aragua is led by Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias "Niño Guerrero"; he was incarcerated in Tocorón prison, which functioned as the organization's de facto headquarters. The gang has since expanded throughout Latin America and the United States amidst the Venezuelan refugee crisis, with the growth of the gang following the migration of Venezuelans to host nations. Due to the severity of its crimes, combatting the gang has become a priority to many nations where Tren de Aragua has entered.

Characteristics

Members of the gang are primarily Venezuelans. The Cook County, Illinois' Sheriff's Office has reported that common symbols tattooed on gang members include an AK-47, the Air Jordan logo and a skull wearing a gas mask. Gang members are also known for wearing Chicago Bulls gear (jackets, hats, sweatshirts).

Operations

Tren de Aragua is also the first Venezuelan criminal organization to expand internationally; it has a presence in Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Panama, Costa Rica and Chile. It holds a particularly dominant role in human-trafficking and human smuggling in Latin America. The organization engages in a variety of criminal activities, such as arms trafficking, bribery, drug-trafficking, illegal mining, kidnappings-for-ransom, and money laundering. The gang has alliances with Primeiro Comando da Capital in Brazil.

Chile

Amidst the Tarapacá migrant crisis in northern Chile, Tren de Aragua engaged in trafficking of women across from the Bolivian border to Santiago. By October 2021 there were reports Chilean authorities were conducting four different investigations related to the criminal organisation. On March 24, 2022 Investigations Police of Chile (PDI) declared to have dismantled the Chilean branch of Tren de Aragua. One of the Tren de Aragua members captured in March 2022 had Interpol arrest warrants for murders in Venezuela and Peru. Six other migrant traffickers of Tren de Aragua were also captured in March 2022 by Chilean police.

Peru

Due to Tren de Aragua's heavy presence in Lima, increased sentiments of xenophobia against Venezuelans from Peruvians resulted. Following clashes between Peruvians and Venezuelan migrants at the Gamarra Market in Lima, the "Los Gallegos" chapter of the Tren de Aragua released a video stating "There will be no peace for Peruvians who support xenophobia. We will begin to kill all the Peruvian motorized people", threatening to kill Peruvian motortaxi drivers. In 2023 alone, at least 183 suspected members were arrested.

United States

Telemundo, citing multiple criminal cases against suspected members of the gang, wrote that it shows "an increasingly widespread presence of the band also in the United States." According to a prosecutor of the United States Department of Justice, "several security agencies have reported a strong presence of the Tren de Aragua in several states." Tren de Aragua first appeared in Chicago and its suburbs in October 2023. Chief Garry McCarthy of Willow Springs estimated that hundreds of gang members were present in the city. However, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in November 2023 that "A Sun-Times analysis found shoplifting and domestic violence arrests, but little proof of the gang's presence among migrants." According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the gang is involved in multiple cases of thefts throughout New York City. According to FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Britton Boyd, 41 suspected members of the Tren de Aragua were arrested during the same period. In January 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed reports that the gang was operating in the United States.

Venezuela

In addition to its home-state of Aragua, the organization has a presence in other states in Venezuela, such as Carabobo, Sucre, Bolívar, Guárico, Trujillo and Miranda.

In September 2023, 11,000 members of the Venezuelan security forces intervened at the Aragua Penitentiary Center, which served as the gang's headquarters.