US Sanctions Leaders of Venezuelan Tren de Aragua

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as 'Niño Guerrero,' and five other top leaders of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, recently designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Tren de Aragua has grown into a powerful transnational criminal group involved in drug trafficking, extortion, migrant smuggling, sexual exploitation, and other crimes across Latin America and into the United States. All assets of the designated individuals under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. entities are forbidden from conducting business with them, while foreign banks facilitating their activities risk secondary sanctions. The State Department is offering up to $5 million for information leading to Guerrero's arrest or conviction. The sanctions also target Guerrero's wife, Wendy Marbelys Rios Gomez, for her alleged role in money laundering and terrorist financing. These actions are part of broader U.S. efforts to disrupt the gang's operations and limit their destabilizing influence in the Western Hemisphere.