In a significant operation targeting organized crime, Spanish authorities announced on Friday the arrest of 13 suspected members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. The arrests were carried out across five cities—Barcelona, Madrid, Girona, A Coruña, and Valencia—marking the first such operation in Spain to dismantle a suspected cell of this notorious gang. The U.S. government had designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization in February, highlighting its growing influence in international drug trafficking and organized crime. Spanish police also dismantled two drug laboratories used to produce tusi, a potent mixture of cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine, and seized significant quantities of synthetic drugs and cocaine. The operation followed an investigation initiated last year after the brother of the gang’s leader, known as ‘Niño Guerrero,’ was arrested in Barcelona under an international warrant issued by Venezuelan authorities. Tren de Aragua, which originated in a lawless Venezuelan prison over a decade ago, has expanded its reach amid the mass migration of Venezuelans fleeing economic turmoil, establishing a presence in Latin America, the U.S., and Spain. The gang has also been a focal point of the Trump administration’s military strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and its domestic immigration crackdown. This latest operation underscores the global efforts to combat the gang’s criminal activities and its ties to international drug trafficking networks.
Spanish police arrest 13 suspected members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang
