Tren de Aragua mastermind charged in US federal court with racketeering, drug charges

An alleged leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) has been charged in New York with racketeering and drug and firearms offenses, officials said Thursday.

Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, 42, has been the leader or co-leader of TdA, which the United States has designated as a "terrorist organisation," for more than a decade, they said.

Guerrero Flores's whereabouts are unknown and the US State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

"Guerrero Flores has been the mastermind of Tren de Aragua's evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organisation," US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.

TdA, under Guerrero Flores's leadership, has "committed countless acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking all over North America, South America, and Europe," he said.

Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Louis D'Ambrosio said Guerrero Flores laundered money through cryptocurrency, smuggled tons of drugs and sold weapons.

The indictment unsealed on Thursday charges Guerrero Flores with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, cocaine importation and firearms offenses.

The United States has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of having links to TdA and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

The US military has also been carrying out lethal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, some of which Washington has alleged were operated by TdA.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)