In a decisive move to curb the expansion of transnational organized crime, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), announced the inclusion of six high-ranking members of the Aragua Train on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. This action, framed within the fight against terrorism and transnational crime, is a clear signal of Washington’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks operating on a hemispheric scale.
The sanctioned individuals are subject to asset freezes under U.S. jurisdiction, a prohibition on transactions with U.S. persons or entities, and exposure to secondary sanctions pursuant to Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, modified by Order 13886. They have all been identified as key players in the criminal machinery of the Aragua Train, considered one of the most violent and expansive criminal organizations emerging in Latin America.
An OFAC official statement revealed the sanctioned individuals are:
Félix Anner Castillo Rondón
Alias “Arnel” or “Pure Arnel”
Nationality: Venezuelan
Date of Birth: January 12, 1984
Residences: Peru and Venezuela
ID: V-16692836
This individual has been identified as one of the leaders responsible for coordinating cross-border human trafficking, drug trafficking, and extortion.
Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores
Alias “Niño Guerrero”
Born on May 30, 1983, in Maracay, Venezuela
ID: V-17367457
Considered the top leader of the Aragua Train, Guerrero Flores controls the group’s international operations from prison (and at times from hiding). His figure is so central that his alias has become synonymous with the terror the organization instills.
Wilmer José Pérez Castillo
Alias “Wilmer Guayabal”
Date of Birth: August 19, 1985
ID: V-17789572
Pérez Castillo is marked as one of the logistical operators and coordinators of the group’s armed wing.
Wendy Marbelys Ríos Gómez
Date of Birth: January 21, 1980
Nationalities: Venezuelan and Colombian
The only woman on the list, she is linked to money laundering and logistical support networks in Colombia and Venezuela.
Yohan José Romero
Alias “Johan Petrica”
Born on October 31, 1977
Identified as part of the strategic circle of the Aragua Train, involved in financing and expanding the criminal network.
Josué Ángel Santana Peña
Alias “Santanita”
Date of Birth: June 26, 1995
One of the youngest members of the group but holds key roles in paramilitary activities and territorial control.
The Aragua Train as the Armed Wing of the Venezuelan Regime
Originating in Venezuelan prisons, the Aragua Train has evolved from a prison gang to a transnational criminal network with documented presence in at least 10 countries, including Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, and Spain. Their criminal repertoire includes drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, contract killing, arms trafficking, kidnapping, and money laundering.
The U.S. government has designated them as a foreign terrorist organization.
They operate under a logic of militarized territorial expansion, utilizing migration routes to camouflage and relocate their cells. Many of their members have managed to infiltrate migrant communities, hidden under forced displacement processes.
Connection to Terrorism
The designation under Executive Order 13224, originally designed to halt terrorism financing, demonstrates the danger level and impact that the U.S. attributes to the Aragua Train. This measure puts its leaders on the same threat level as groups like Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, or ISIS, in terms of their capacity to destabilize entire communities and countries.
Changes in the International Landscape
In addition to these designations, the Treasury also updated the file of the jihadist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, based in Pakistan, expanding their operational aliases and humanitarian facade networks. This underscores a more aggressive strategy to track and neutralize actors operating under multiple identities, both in the Western Hemisphere and in Asia and the Middle East.