Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed an indictment charging the alleged leader of Tren de Aragua with racketeering, terrorism-related offenses, large-scale cocaine trafficking, and weapons crimes, in what prosecutors described as one of the most significant U.S. cases to date against the Venezuelan-based transnational gang.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores — also known as “Niño Guerrero” — is accused of leading Tren de Aragua (TdA) for more than a decade, overseeing its expansion from a prison-based gang in Venezuela into a multinational criminal organization operating across the Western Hemisphere. Guerrero Flores remains at large, and the U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
Federal authorities have been seeking Guerrero Flores for years. In July 2024, the U.S. Department of State announced the reward under its Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, citing his role in expanding Tren de Aragua from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational criminal organization operating across the Western Hemisphere.
Prosecutors allege that Guerrero Flores directed and facilitated acts of violence, drug trafficking, extortion, kidnappings, and weapons distribution from inside Venezuela, including while operating from Tocorón Prison in the state of Aragua. The indictment describes Tren de Aragua as a highly structured enterprise that established cells in multiple countries, including the United States, where members allegedly committed crimes to assert territorial control and generate revenue.
Alleged Ties to Venezuelan State-Linked Trafficking Networks
The indictment further alleges that Tren de Aragua worked in concert with the Cartel de los Soles, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization prosecutors say is comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials who corrupted military, police, and government institutions to facilitate the movement of cocaine into the United States.
According to prosecutors, the Cartel de los Soles relied on corruption and violence to transport cocaine from Venezuela through maritime and aerial routes, moving shipments through Central America and Mexico before they were smuggled across the U.S. border. Guerrero Flores is accused of personally facilitating and protecting large cocaine shipments and supplying traffickers with automatic weapons, including AK-47s, MP5s, AR-15s, and grenades.
Charges and Potential Penalties
Guerrero Flores, 42, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, cocaine importation conspiracy, and firearms offenses involving machine guns and destructive devices. If convicted, the charges carry potential penalties ranging from decades in prison to mandatory life sentences, depending on the counts.
Prosecutors emphasized that the charges are allegations and that Guerrero Flores is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Prior Warnings From Venezuelan Intelligence Insider
The allegations outlined in the indictment follow warnings raised earlier this month by former Venezuelan intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal Barrios, who alleged in a letter obtained exclusively by The Dallas Express that the Maduro regime exported criminal networks — including Tren de Aragua — into the United States while working in concert with the Cartel de los Soles.
Carvajal, who previously pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to a narco-terrorism conspiracy, claimed the Venezuelan government deliberately used criminal organizations and cocaine trafficking as tools against the United States. The Dallas Express reported at the time that Carvajal’s allegations had not been independently verified and were presented as claims from a cooperating former regime insider.
Multi-Agency Investigation
The case was brought as part of Joint Task Force Vulcan, a Justice Department initiative originally created to dismantle MS-13 and later expanded to target Tren de Aragua. The investigation involved the DEA, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and international law enforcement partners, including Colombian authorities.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the case reflects a broader effort to dismantle transnational criminal organizations that “flood our streets with deadly drugs and pursue violence and corruption as a way of life.”
The indictment was unsealed in Manhattan federal court and assigned to U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr.
