Reward Offers Up to $50M for Information Leading to Arrests and/or Convictions of Foreign Terrorist Organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) Leaders Following Homeland Security Task[...]

"By leveraging DEA's investigative expertise alongside our partners through the Homeland Security Task Force, we are bringing the full force of the U.S. government to bear against narco-terrorists that threaten our communities," said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terrance Cole. "Today's announcement demonstrates what can be achieved through unprecedented coordination and intelligence sharing across federal law enforcement. Yohan José Romero, Mosquera Serrano, and Rivas Núñez have played key roles in directing and expanding Tren de Aragua's operations throughout the Western Hemisphere. TdA spreads violence, fear, and instability wherever it operates. Make no mistake - DEA will stop at nothing to identify, disrupt, and dismantle this criminal network."

"As Secretary Rubio has repeatedly stated, transnational criminal and terrorist organizations such as Tren de Aragua are the most urgent security threat in our hemisphere," said Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas G. DiNanno. "Today, we are offering rewards totaling up to $50 million under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of the top three leaders of Tren de Aragua. The Trump Administration remains fully committed to eliminating narcoterrorist organizations in the region that traffic illicit drugs, commit violent acts, and cause harm to American communities."

If you have any information concerning these individuals, please contact the FBI via WhatsApp or Telegram at 281-787-9939. Those with information may also contact their local FBI office, nearest American Embassy or Consulate or can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

The FBI and the DEA are jointly conducting the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Colombian National Police and the Colombian Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación), with significant assistance from the Justice Department's Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogota and Office of International Affairs.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz for the Southern District of Texas along with Joint Task Force Vulcan's (JTFV) Deputy Director David C. Smith and Trial Attorneys James Keller and Kelly McGann.

TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. Since that time, TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States. TdA's criminal activities range from drug trafficking and firearms trafficking to sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other violent acts to advance the organization's criminal activities. TdA has also developed an additional source of revenue stream by committing financial crimes that target financial institutions throughout the United States, including using ATM jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in cash. The investigation has revealed that the conspiracy has targeted or carried out ATM jackpotting attacks in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign nations.

This case is part of JTFV. JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and has now expanded to target TdA. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney's Offices across the country, including Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Western District of Virginia; Middle and Southern Districts of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; District of Nevada; and the District of Arizona, as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice's National Security Division, Criminal Division, and the Office of Judicial Attaché and DEA partners in Bogotá, Colombia. Additionally, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), USMS, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.

This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Houston comprises agents and officers from FBI; HSI; DEA; Texas Department of Public Safety; Houston Police Department; Harris County Sheriff's Office; ATF; USMS; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation and IRS Criminal Investigation with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.

A complaint and indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.