U.S. Government Now Offering $5 Million For Senior Tren de Aragua Member 'El Viejo'

The United States government has raised its reward for information leading to the arrest of a Tren de Aragua leader to $5 million, up from $3 million, as U.S. officials' escalate the persecution of the gang the Trump administration designated a terrorist group in February.

Specifically, the State Department said that it was offering the reward for information leading to the arrest of Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, a Venezuelan national believed to be a high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua.

U.S. officials say Mosquera, also known as "El Viejo," is a senior Tren de Aragua leader who oversees criminal operations across Colombia, Central America, and the United States.

Mosquera was first indicted in a Texas district court in January on charges of international cocaine trafficking conspiracy, then recharged in April with additional allegations of supporting a foreign terrorist organization. As of December, he remains on the run and is on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, becoming the first Tren de Aragua member to reach that distinction.

According to InSight Crime, Tren de Aragua began expanding internationally around 2018, establishing 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 set up permanent cells in Colombia, Peru, and Chile, with reported activity also in Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the United States.

In November, authorities in Spain dismantled the first Tren de Aragua cell operating in the European Union. The cell had been active since at least 2023 in multiple neighborhoods in Madrid and Barcelona, according to officials.

Since the second Trump administration began targeting Tren de Aragua with sanctions, 11 alleged gang associates have been identified so far by the U.S. government.

On Dec. 3, the government added the latest group, which included a half-brother of Tren de Aragua leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as "Niño Guerrero," leaders of regional cells, and a Venezuelan DJ.

Actress and DJ Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, known as Rosita, was accused by the Treasury Department of providing material support to Tren de Aragua.

Araya Navarrois allegedly part of an international network that facilitated the gang's financial operations through shows, nightclubs, and other commercial venues.

The U.S. government says these structures were used to launder money generated from extortion, drug trafficking, and other crimes tied to the gang.

Those sanctioned by the Treasury on Dec. 3, whose assets under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, include Noe Manases Aponte Córdova, Asdrúbal Rafael Escobar Cabrera, and Richard José Espinal Quintero, all believed to be leaders of Tren de Aragua cells.

The sanctions also target Cheison Royer Guerrero Palma, a half-brother of Niño Guerrero, who was involved in the gang's expansion efforts in Chile.