Treasury announces sanctions on leaders of Tren de Aragua, other top gang members
The Treasury Department took decisive action on Thursday, sanctioning the leader of the notorious Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, along with five other high-ranking members. Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as “Niño Guerrero,” has had all of his property and interests in the US frozen by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Additionally, entities majority-owned by Guerrero Flores, his wife Wendy Marbelys Rios Gomez, and three other senior members of Tren de Aragua are now prohibited from conducting transactions in the US or with American citizens. This move is aimed at crippling the financial operations of the gang and preventing them from further destabilizing the region.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the crucial role that leaders like Niño Guerrero play in Tren de Aragua’s efforts to spread violence and fear. The Trump Administration is committed to dismantling the gang and ensuring the safety of American communities. The State Department had previously designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist organization, with the Treasury later sanctioning them as a transnational criminal entity.
In a significant development last July, the State Department announced a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores. This demonstrates the US government’s determination to bring the leader of Tren de Aragua to justice and disrupt the gang’s criminal activities.
The actions taken by the Treasury Department underscore the administration’s commitment to combating transnational criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua. By targeting key leaders and disrupting their financial networks, the US government is working to make America safer and protect innocent citizens from harm.
