Federal prosecutors have indicted a leader of the notorious street gang, Tren de Aragua, accusing him of masterminding an array of crimes, including murder, drug smuggling, and sex trafficking.
Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, 42, was indicted Thursday in the Southern District of New York. Known as "The Unspeakable" or "The Big Eyebrow," prosecutors allege he led a multinational criminal organization for more than a decade.
"Guerrero Flores operated Tren de Aragua like a multinational crime syndicate—laundering money through cryptocurrency, trafficking drugs by the ton, selling weapons of war, and orchestrating acts of terror across borders," DEA Special Agent in Charge Louis A. D'Ambrosio said. "He ran this empire from prison, shielded by corruption, and in collaboration with a narco-state cartel intent on flooding the United States with cocaine."
The BBC reported that Flores was in and out of prison in Venezuela. He escaped in 2012 but was rearrested in 2013. In 2018, he was sentenced to 17 years for several crimes including murder and drug trafficking. However, the BBC reported that while in prison he lived "like a king," with access to a swimming pool, nightclub, and television systems. In 2023, thousands of police were sent to destroy the prison's gangs, but Flores was gone. He remains at large.
Federal prosecutors allege that Tren de Aragua members committed crimes and other acts of terrorism to assert control over their territory. Those crimes included extortions, kidnappings, robberies, murders, drug trafficking, prostitution, sex trafficking, and trafficking of guns, grenades, and ammunition.
The indictment states that although Venezuela is a starting point of operations, members have established a gang presence in Central America, North America, and Europe. Prosecutors said that members and associates illegally crossed the border into the United States and established a presence across the country, including in New York, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Nebraska, Illinois, and Florida
"As alleged, Niño Guerrero has for decades led one of the fastest-emerging foreign terrorist organizations to encroach upon American soil: Tren de Aragua," said HSI Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. "This reputed leader grew TdA from a Venezuela-based prison gang to the vile, vicious organization it has become."
Flores is charged with participating in a racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, cocaine importation conspiracy, and using and carrying firearms, machineguns, and destructive devices in furtherance of drug trafficking. If convicted of the most serious charges, Flores potentially faces life in prison.
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