Venezuelan Minister Claims Tren de Aragua Dismantled

Venezuela's Minister of Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace, Remigio Ceballos, stated on Friday that the international criminal syndicate Tren de Aragua has been completely dismantled within Venezuela. Venezuelan authorities have previously claimed the criminal structure was "effectively dismantled" in September 2023 following an intense operation conducted by authorities at Tocoron prison, Aragua state, where a large number of the gang's leadership organized criminal operations in relative safety..An International Syndicate.The main focus of Ceballos' statement revolved around the arrest of the leader of Tren de Aragua's brother, Gerso Guerrero, who was originally arrested in Spain in March 2024 following the issuance of a red INTERPOL notice prior to his extradition to Venezuela. Gerso stands accused of numerous crimes including aggravated extortion, legitimization of capital, association to commit a crime, illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition, terrorism and terrorist financing..Ceballos further acknowledged the arrest of over one thousand other criminals, stating the arrests "demonstrate the will of the Venezuelan state, which through public policy on citizen security, the Great Quadrant Mission for Peace, created and led by the Head of State." While Gerso is now held by Venezuelan authorities, his brother and leader of Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford "Nino Guerrero" Guerrero Flores, remains free to this day, likely extending the organization's lifespan for some time..Tren de Aragua was formed in Tocoron prison with their name likely referring to either an incomplete railway project abandoned by officials due to the country's economic situation, corruption, and lack of security in the region amid civil unrest and factionalism or their home state's name. The criminal organization's main criminal operations consist of drug trafficking and human trafficking, organizing passage for Venezuelan migrants seeking to escape the country's dire economic situation coupled with continued political suppression from President Nicolas Maduro's regime..The gang established itself on the Venezuela-Colombia border in 2018, extending its operations outside of Venezuela for the first time in the organization's history. This position put Tren de Aragua in direct conflict with already established and highly sophisticated Colombian criminal outfits, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and Clan del Golfo, also known as the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC). These groups have been active within northern Colombia and southern Venezuela for decades, with both of these groups tracing their lineage back to the Colombian Conflict, an ongoing, multifaceted conflict between right-wing paramilitaries, communist guerrillas, and Colombian forces that has raged on for over 60 years, making it Latin America's longest ongoing conflict..This position allowed Tren de Aragua to take full advantage of those seeking to flee the country, often accommodating migrants allowing them to incur a large amount of debt before subsequently demanding repayment through sex trafficking, according to the United States Department of State. Those trafficked are distributed across the Americas, with one case occurring in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Authorities responded to a call from a woman claiming to have been being kept against her will and forced to have sex with multiple men in exchange for money in order to pay off a debt to traffickers who smuggled her into the United States. When authorities arrived on the scene, they arrested two Venezuelan men before arresting a third by the name of Josmar Jesus Zambrano-Chirinos, who was subsequently identified as the leader of a sex trafficking operation by Tren de Aragua. Zambrano-Chirinos was linked to the operation of a number of "stash houses" for human trafficking in Florida, Texas, Virginia, New Jersey, and Louisiana..The criminal organization has found itself in the sights of both American politicians and news outlets due to their increased activities in the United States. It is largely due to this international presence that Republican senators officially petitioned President Joe Biden to declare the gang a Transnational Criminal Organization, a designation which would place the gang under the eyes of federal investigative agencies such as the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security, while also allowing stringent legal measures such as RICO to be undertaken. Twenty-one senators came together in March for this request, originally petitioned by Florida representatives Marco Rubio and María Elvira Salazar who alleged the organization's connection to human trafficking alongside claims that the gang had "plunged communities into chaos" in Ecuador and Colombia..While Ceballos states the organization has been dismantled, this claim could possibly be fabricated in an effort to strengthen support for President Maduro ahead of the country's fast approaching presidential elections which are slated for July 28. These elections have been marred with numerous scandals, as Maduro seeks to consolidate power and limit the ability for political opposition to perform.