Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York’s Violent Gang Task Force is continuing efforts to dismantle the Tren de Aragua criminal gang. This follows a superseding RICO indictment on January 28 that charged 19 alleged members with 29 federal counts. The charges include double murder, murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder, assault with dangerous weapons, armed robbery, kidnapping, sex trafficking, and firearms offenses.
“HSI New York continues to stand at the forefront of investigations against vicious criminal enterprises like Tren de Aragua and Anti-Tren,” said HSI acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon. “Through their use of ruthless tactics and blatant disregard for human life, TdA and its offshoots are among the fastest emerging transnational criminal organizations to encroach upon American soil. HSI New York, through the Homeland Security Task Force, continues to target these gangs that seek to perpetrate destruction and terror in our communities. Together, alongside our law enforcement partners, we are committed to ensuring that no corners of the TdA and Anti-Tren enterprises are beyond the reach of justice.”
The investigation into Tren de Aragua (TdA) is part of Operation Crazy Train. The operation began after TdA and Anti-Tren members allegedly assaulted two on-duty NYPD officers and carried out a double homicide along with a non-fatal shooting of three U.S. citizens in the Bronx during a spike in crime in 2024.
Federal prosecutors have since returned several indictments targeting both domestic members and international leaders of the organization. In April 2025, authorities indicted 27 TdA and Anti-Tren members on racketeering, narcotics trafficking, sex trafficking, firearms trafficking, and murder-for-hire charges as part of a coordinated multistate action.
In September 2025, another superseding RICO indictment brought additional charges—including murder conspiracy—against ten more individuals linked to these groups.
By December 2025, TDA leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores (also known as “Niño Guerro”) was indicted by a federal grand jury for racketeering conspiracy; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; cocaine importation conspiracy; and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. Guerrero is believed to be located in Venezuela.
Tren de Aragua originated within Venezuela’s Tocorón prison before expanding into the United States amid migration from Venezuela. Its offshoot group Anti-Tren comprises former TdA members who continued similar activities domestically.
Investigators found that both groups used methods seen abroad: extortion schemes; drug trafficking; weapons sales; armed robberies; and forced commercial sex work involving young women trafficked from Venezuela or other countries under debt bondage conditions.
So far under Operation Crazy Train:
– Authorities have seized eleven firearms.
– Narcotics including Tusi (a synthetic drug), methamphetamine, and fentanyl were confiscated.
– Victims of sex trafficking were identified and rescued.
– Eleven TdA members face federal charges.
– Forty additional TdA associates were administratively arrested.
HSI New York remains focused on locating outstanding suspects while working with multiple agencies—including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York; New York City Police Department; Joint Task Force Vulcan; DEA; U.S. Marshals Service Regional Fugitive Task Force; HSI field offices in Miami, Chicago, Sarasota, Portland; HSI Bogotá—and other international partners.
