The Trump administration on Thursday announced sweeping sanctions against the top leadership of Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the White House.
Led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the administration’s latest move targets six senior figures in the gang’s hierarchy, including its notorious ringleader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores — better known as “Niño Guerrero.” Once a prison boss, Guerrero has built Tren de Aragua into a sprawling transnational criminal syndicate with operations now reaching deep into 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,” Bessent said.
Under the new sanctions, any assets the gang or its leaders hold in the U.S. — or within American financial institutions — must be frozen and reported. The move aims to choke off the group’s access to cash and restrict its ability to fund further operations.
Among those sanctioned:
Yohan Jose Romero, a top Guerrero lieutenant responsible for Tren de Aragua’s illegal mining operations in Venezuela.
Johan Petrica, who supplies the gang with military-grade weapons to enforce control and fight Colombian guerrilla factions.
Josue Angel Santana Pena, implicated in bombings, homicides, extortion, and terrorism.
Wendy Marbelys Rios Gomez, Guerrero’s wife, cited for laundering money and financing terrorism.
Wilmer Jose Perez Castillo, who carried out multiple assassinations on behalf of the gang.
Felix Anner Castillo Rondon, who leads the gang’s Chilean cell involved in human trafficking, narcotics, and murder.
The Trump administration said these actions are part of a broader effort to dismantle Tren de Aragua’s growing footprint in U.S. cities — a presence enabled by the Biden-era border crisis and now actively being reversed.
“The Trump Administration will not allow Tren de Aragua to continue to terrorize our communities and harm innocent Americans,” a Treasury statement read. “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 sanctions come as part of a wider crackdown on transnational gangs and cartels, building on earlier actions against leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, Cartel de Noreste, and Jalisco Nueva Generacion.
With a $5 million State Department reward now offered for Niño Guerrero, the administration signaled that the war on cartel violence and foreign-backed gang terror is far from over — and that under Trump, it will be fought aggressively both at the border and at the bank.
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