Tren de Aragua

Aragua Train is the largest criminal organization in Venezuela, with over 2,700 members. In addition to its home-state of Aragua, the organization also has a presence in other states in Venezuela, such as: Carabobo, Sucre, Bolívar, Guárico, Trujillo and Miranda. Tren de Aragua is led by Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias “Niño Guerrero"; he is currently incarcerated in Tocorón prison, which functions as the organization's headquarters. Tren de Aragua is also the first Venezuelan criminal organization to expand internationally; it has a presence in Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Panama, Costa Rica and Chile. The organization engages in a variety of criminal activities, such as protection racketeering, drug-trafficking, human-trafficking, human smuggling, kidnappings-for-ransom, illegal mining, bribery, and money laundering. Amidst the Tarapacá migrant crisis in northern Chile, Tren de Aragua engaged in trafficking of women across from the Bolivian border to Santiago.[1][2] By October 2021 there were reports Chilean authorities were conducting four different investigations related to the criminal organisation.[2] On March 24, 2022 Investigations Police of Chile (PDI) declared to have dismantled the Chilean branch of Tren de Aragua.[1] One of the Tren de Aragua members captured in March 2022 had Interpol arrest warrants for murders in Venezuela and Peru.[3] Six other migrant traffickers of Tren de Aragua were also captured in March 2022 by Chilean police.[3]