In a coordinated effort aimed at cracking down on transnational criminal networks, the United States Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions against key leaders of the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This group, which began as a prison gang, is now viewed by experts and intelligence agencies as the unconventional armed wing of Nicolás Maduro’s regime in a context of regional irregular warfare, serving as a handy tool for social control, extraterritorial repression, and the expansion of politically motivated organized crime.
At the same time, the U.S. government updated the list of designated terrorist organizations (SDN) to include new aliases of the jihadist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, aiming to further tighten the financial squeeze against Islamic extremism.
This dual announcement sends a clear message: The United States is ready to dismantle, without concessions, both organized crime and international terrorism, emphasizing hybrid networks that operate under the protection or complacency of authoritarian states.
The Tren de Aragua
What started as a prison gang in Tocorón prison in Aragua state, Venezuela, has evolved into a transnational criminal structure, with confirmed presence in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and recently detected in U.S. cities.
Human trafficking, sexual exploitation, assassination, drug trafficking, extortion, and illegal mining are just some of the activities attributed to the Tren de Aragua, which no longer operates as a mere gang, but as an irregular armed actor, complete with logistics, military hierarchies, and transnational coverage.
According to officials from the State and Treasury departments, the organization operates with the permissiveness, if not complicity, of Maduro’s regime, serving as a tool to instill chaos, intimidation, and territorial control both inside and outside Venezuela.
Sanctions of July 17: Key Names
The sanctions were issued under Executive Order 13224 (amended), which permits the designation of individuals and entities as terrorists who commit, threaten, or support acts of terrorism.
Here are the main individuals sanctioned:
Name (Alias)Role within the Tren de AraguaReward offeredHéctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores (“Niño Guerrero”)Leader. Extortion, trafficking of arms and drugs, murders$5 millionYohan José Romero (“Johan Petrica”)Co-founder. Illegal mining, use of military-grade weapons$4 millionsJosue Ángel Santana Peña (“Santanita”)Prison operations. Homicides, terrorism, explosives–Wilmer José Pérez Castillo (“Wilmer Guayabal”)Criminal logistics, targeted killings, drug trafficking–Wendy Marbelys Ríos GómezGuerrero’s wife. In charge of money laundering and financial logistics–Félix Anner Castillo Rondón (“Pure Arnel”)Leader of “Los Gallegos”. Human and drug trafficking, assassination–
These sanctions imply:
✅ Total asset blockade in the U.S.
✅ Ban on any transactions with U.S. citizens or businesses
✅ Risk of secondary sanctions for foreign entities that assist them
⚠️ The Tren de Aragua as an Irregular Warfare Tool
The case of the Tren de Aragua is not merely criminal: it is geopolitical.
Several intelligence reports and statements from high-ranking Treasury officials have indicated that this network functions as an armed proxy of chavismo, strategically deployed to operate in areas of institutional weakness, expand the regime’s power, and launder illicit resources from drug trafficking and corruption.
Its expansion throughout South America coincides with Venezuela’s economic collapse, the mass exodus of migrants, and the rising presence of armed groups such as the ELN, dissidents of the FARC, and Hezbollah in Latin America.
💣 Simultaneity with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba
On the same day, OFAC announced an update to the SDN list to include new aliases of the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Names such as:
«KASHMIR RESISTANCE FRONT»
«THE RESISTANCE FRONT»
«KASHMIR RESISTANCE»
This move aims to close the financial and logistical routes used by LeT to evade previous sanctions, and is part of a global offensive against hybrid structures that merge terrorism and organized crime.
📉 What’s Next?
The U.S. administration warns that these sanctions are just one step in a broader strategy. Including the Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization allows for:
Greater cooperation with allied security forces
Priority extraditions
Freezing of assets outside the U.S.
Targeting of shell companies involved in money laundering
However, the success of this campaign will depend on the political will of Latin American governments, as well as diplomatic pressure to isolate the Venezuelan regime, whose relationship with these groups is well-documented.
A Direct Message to Maduro
Terrorism Made in Venezuela is no longer a theory or a political accusation. It is a legal and diplomatic reality confirmed by U.S. agencies themselves.
The Tren de Aragua is not just a criminal gang. It is an irregular power tool, a hemispheric threat, and another piece in the transnational crime puzzle that protects Nicolás Maduro and his allies.
The sanctions of July 17 mark a turning point.
The United States has declared financial war on the Tren de Aragua. And with that, has begun to dismantle the fabric of impunity that supports the armed chavismo.