LatinNews Daily - 22 July 2024

Venezuela: On 11 July the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) blacklisted Tren de Aragua, a Venezuela-based transnational criminal organisation. A US Treasury Department press release states that from its origins as a prison gang in Aragua, Venezuela, Tren de Aragua has “quickly expanded throughout the Western Hemisphere in recent years”. It adds that “with a particular focus on human smuggling and other illicit acts that target desperate migrants, the organization has developed additional revenue sources through a range of criminal activities, such as illegal mining, kidnapping, human trafficking, extortion, and the trafficking of illicit drugs such as cocaine and MDMA”. The sanctions require that all property and property interests of the designated individuals and entities that are in the US must be blocked and reported to Ofac. The statement adds that the US Department of State announced reward offers totalling up to US$12m for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of several Tren de Aragua leaders for conspiring to participate in, or attempting to participate in, transnational organised crime. The three are Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero, also known as ‘Niño Guerrero’ (up to US$5m), Yohan José Romero, also known as ‘Johan Petrica’ (up to US$4m), and Giovanny San Vicente, also known as ‘Giovanny’, ‘Viejo Viejo’, and ‘El Viejo’ (up to US$3m).

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