Multi-City Raids in Spain Uncover First European Cell of Venezuelan Gang Tren de Aragua

The Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, which has been heavily targeted by the Trump administration, has expanded its operations and reached the European Union.

According to reports, authorities have identified and dismantled the first Tren de Aragua cell operating in Spain. The National Police arrested 13 people in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, and A Coruña who were allegedly members of the criminal organization that U.S. President Donald Trump designated as a foreign terrorist group in February.

The suspects were arrested last week, with most of the detentions taking place in Barcelona. Authorities are still investigating whether others may be connected to the criminal cell.

"Thirteen people have been arrested, and five searches were carried out in which large quantities of drugs, mobile phones, various documents, and a prohibited weapon were seized," the statement released on Nov. 7 said.

According to a senior inspector with Spain's National Police Information Bureau who spoke with CNN, the detainees are from five different nationalities and are mostly in their 30s. The majority are Venezuelan.

The operation was carried out with help from Colombia's National Police and the AMERIPOL–EL PACTO 2.0 initiative, a program that strengthens cooperation between the European Union and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

It began shortly after authorities arrested the brother of Tren de Aragua's leader, known as "Niño Guerrero," in March 2024. He was taken into custody for his alleged role in terrorism, human trafficking, weapons trafficking, extortion, money laundering, and organized crime.

That arrest prompted Spanish authorities to investigate whether additional Tren de Aragua cells were operating in the country. In the statement, the National Police said further investigations uncovered "a network of individuals, located in different parts of the country, who formed a criminal organization financed mainly through drug trafficking, particularly tusi and cocaine."

Authorities told CNN that the cell was dismantled while it was still in its early stages, before it could expand further. They also said they suspect the group had been active since at least 2023, operating in neighborhoods in Barcelona and Madrid.

Officials have not yet determined who supplied the cocaine to the Tren de Aragua cell, though they suspect it came from other European countries.

According to InSight Crime, Tren de Aragua began expanding internationally around 2018, when the gang tried to establish a presence along the border between Venezuela and Colombia, specifically between the Venezuelan state of Táchira and the Colombian department of Norte de Santander.

The gang has since established permanent cells in Colombia, Peru, and Chile, and there have also been reports of its activities in Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and the United States.