On 20 January 2025, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order initiating the process of designating various drug cartels and transnational gangs, including Tren de Aragua, as Foreign …

Mar 16, 2025 · Tren de Aragua, Spanish for "the train of Aragua" was founded in 2014 in the Tocorón prison, in the central Venezuelan state of Aragua.

Mar 17, 2025 · While it is smaller or less wealthy than other criminal groups in Latin America, Tren de Aragua is often compared to the ultra-violent MS-13 gang from El Salvador.

Jan 12, 2026 · Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s most powerful and far-reaching criminal organization. The organization emerged in the early 2010s as a prison gang in the Tocorón penitentiary in the …

Aug 18, 2025 · Tren de Aragua has quickly become one of the most infamous crime groups in Latin America and the Caribbean. Governments across the region have deemed it a top security priority. …

Tren de Aragua originated as a prison gang at Tocoron Prison in Venezuela in the mid 2010s, where the gang conducted kidnappings, extortion, and drug trafficking to generate revenue and recruit members.

Dec 18, 2025 · “Tren de Aragua is a terrorist cartel that exploits our borders to bring murder, drugs, and chaos into American communities,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Tren de Aragua originated more than a decade ago at an infamously lawless prison with hardened criminals in Venezuela’s central state of Aragua. The gang has expanded in recent years as more …

Jun 12, 2025 · Tren de Aragua (TdA). Source: National Gang Intelligence Center. This article explores the origins, evolution, and transnational operations of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has …

Mar 18, 2025 · Tren de Aragua began in the 2000s in a notorious penitentiary in north-central Venezuela, where gang leaders at one point had their own zoo, nightclub and bank inside the prison.