Executive Summary
- Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores is charged with racketeering, murder, and sex trafficking in the Southern District of New York.
- The indictment alleges Tren de Aragua operates in multiple U.S. states, including New York, Texas, and Florida.
- Prosecutors claim the gang collaborates with Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles to traffic cocaine and weapons.
- The Trump administration has designated the gang as a Foreign Terrorist Organization due to its threat to national security.
- Guerrero Flores remains at large, with his current whereabouts unknown to authorities.
Federal prosecutors have charged Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the alleged leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, with masterminding a violent transnational criminal enterprise responsible for murder, kidnapping, and sex trafficking, according to an indictment unsealed this week in the Southern District of New York. Guerrero Flores, also known as “Niño Guerrero,” is accused under U.S. racketeering laws of leading an organization that expanded from South America into the United States, orchestrating a campaign of violence and organized crime to dominate civilian populations.
According to the indictment, Tren de Aragua members infiltrated new countries by illegally crossing borders and establishing control over vulnerable neighborhoods. Prosecutors allege the gang utilized tactics such as kidnapping, extortion, and robbery to generate income and seize control of apartment buildings and communities within the United States. The gang allegedly laundered criminal proceeds, including through cryptocurrency, sending funds back to senior leaders, including Guerrero Flores, who authorities say directed many of these operations from South America.
The Department of Justice asserts that the gang’s criminal portfolio includes drug trafficking, prostitution, and weapons trafficking. Specifically, Guerrero Flores is accused of collaborating with major cocaine trafficking organizations, including Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles, to transport massive shipments of cocaine into the United States. Court filings state that he personally accompanied heavily armed shipments and received payments based on the volume of narcotics transported. Additionally, the indictment charges him with selling military-grade firearms, such as AK-47s and AR-15–style rifles, to protect these illicit drug supply chains.
The investigation also details allegations of severe human rights abuses. Prosecutors state that Tren de Aragua trafficked women, referred to as “multadas,” from Venezuela into the United States and other nations, forcing them into commercial sex work to repay debts through threats of violence and murder. The gang’s U.S. operations were reportedly organized into regional cells across states including New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois, with local leaders reporting to the gang’s hierarchy abroad.
This legal action follows significant policy moves by the executive branch. The administration of President Donald Trump previously designated Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization and a Foreign Terrorist Organization, citing the group as a major threat to national security. Administration officials have argued that the gang’s sophisticated structure and method of embedding within migrant populations pose a direct challenge to U.S. border security and the rule of law.
Transnational Judicial Implications
The unsealing of these charges represents a critical shift in the federal approach to dismantling Tren de Aragua, moving from immigration enforcement to high-level criminal prosecution under the RICO Act. By targeting the leadership structure, U.S. authorities are attempting to sever the command-and-control links between the gang’s South American base and its domestic cells. However, with Guerrero Flores’ whereabouts currently unknown, the case highlights the complex challenges of international extradition and cross-border cooperation in combatting transnational crime. It is important to note that these charges are allegations, and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
