Federal prosecutors in New York recently charged 19 Tren de Aragua and Anti-Tren gang members in an escalating federal case involving double murder, sex trafficking, firearms offenses, and other racketeering crimes.
The charges stem from a broader investigation by Homeland Security Investigations New York’s Violent Gang Task Force, which resulted in 27 TdA and Anti-Tren members being indicted last April.
Dubbed Operation Crazy Train, the investigation uncovered an organized network of gang members allegedly tied to the assault and robbery of two on-duty New York City Police Department officers.
HSI investigators also linked the TdA and Anti-Tren gangsters to a double homicide and non-fatal shooting of three U.S. citizens in the Bronx during the Biden administration’s crime wave in 2024, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a news release.
“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,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon.
“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.”
Other crimes include gunpoint robberies, murders and the exploitation of vulnerable young women through sex trafficking, said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in announcing the newest charges.
The 38-count, 62-page superseding indictment in the Southern District of New York details the suspected gangsters and their various charges in connection with an April 15, 2024, double murder in the Bronx, a murder-for-hire conspiracy, and other offenses.
The latest superseding RICO indictment charged 19 members with 29 federal counts, including double murder, murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder, assault with dangerous weapons, armed robbery, kidnapping, sex trafficking and firearms offenses.
“Tren de Aragua is in the business of murder, sex trafficking, and intimidation, and they brought that business to New York while being unlawfully present in the United States,” Clayton said.
A total of 21 of the 27 defendants charged in the S4 Indictment were previously charged in a 12-count Indictment. Of the six newly added defendants, five are now in federal custody.
Clayton said the charges “reflect our commitment to bankrupt TDA and bring its members to justice.”
To date, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has charged approximately 38 members or associates of TdA and splinter group Anti-Tren.
“The gang members charged today exerted ruthless control over sex trafficking victims through intimidation, brutality, and threats of violence against them and their loved ones—leaving lasting trauma in their wake,” Clayton said. “The women and men of the SDNY are unwavering in their commitment to bankrupt gangs that corrupt our neighborhoods, prey on the vulnerable, and pursue violence as a way of life.”
Through collaborative investigatory work, HSI New York, the Homeland Security Task Force, Joint Task Force Vulcan and other law enforcement partners continue to “target these gangs that seek to perpetrate destruction and terror in our communities.”
The investigation continues but Operation Crazy Train has resulted in:
- 11 firearms seized
- Narcotics seized, including Tusi, methamphetamine and fentanyl
- Sex trafficking victims identified and rescued
- 11 TdA members federally charged
- 40 additional TdA members and associates administratively arrested
TdA and its faction Anti-Tren grew from a Venezuelan prison gang to a transnational criminal organization.
The Trump administration designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization, which allows for serious federal charges, including those under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act.
Tren de Aragua expanded into the United States during the Venezuelan migration crisis under Joe Biden. Anti-Tren became a rival faction group comprised of former members and associates of TdA.
The Anti-Tren members continued similar violent activity and gained a stronghold in New York City, HSI officials said.
Anti-Tren operated in the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, and in New Jersey, and elsewhere around the country, including in Illinois and Washington.
According to the indictment, investigators determined the organization replicated tactics used abroad to gain power and territorial control. They engage in extortion, narcotics, trafficking, weapons trafficking, armed robbery and sex trafficking.
Young women were illegally trafficked from Venezuela and other countries and forced into commercial sex work to repay smuggling debts, ICE said.
Anti-Tren members also targeted TdA members with violence, including murder, assault, and threats of violence. They engaged in sex trafficking of young women or “multadas” and controlled substances, including “tusi,” and carried out armed robberies.
“The violence and horrific acts as charged here including the double murder, murder for hire, kidnapping, and sex trafficking will be met with the full weight of our justice system,” said JTFV Co-Director Christopher Eason. “The charges against these TdA associates and Anti-Tren members are directly in line with JTFV’s mission: a collaborative, whole of government effort to destroy TdA and its factions.”
Over the last year, federal prosecutors have returned multiple indictments in an effort to dismantle the organization’s domestic membership and international leadership structure.
- In April 2025, 27 TdA and Anti-Tren members were indicted on racketeering, narcotics trafficking, sex trafficking, firearms trafficking and murder-for-hire charges. A coordinated multistate takedown followed.
- In September 2025, a superseding RICO indictment added charges of murder, murder conspiracy, firearms, possession and use, violent crimes in aid of racketeering and additional RICO violations against 10 members.
- In December 2025, a federal grand jury indicted TdA leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, as known as “Niño Guerro,” on racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devises. Guerrero is believed to be in Venezuela.
HSI New York continues working to locate outstanding suspects and further dismantle TdA’s command structure.
Other agencies involved include the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the New York City Police Department, with assistance from Joint Task Force Vulcan, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service’s Regional Fugitive Task Force, and HSI field offices in Miami, Chicago, Sarasota and Portland, as well as HSI Bogotá and other international partners.
