Gerso Guerrero Flores, one of the members of the feared criminal gang Tren de Aragua, was extradited to Venezuela from Spain and is expected to arrive in the country on Thursday, the Venezuelan prosecutor’s office reported.
“The Kingdom of Spain, in response to the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Venezuela, agreed to the extradition of Gerso Guerrero (…) for the crimes of aggravated extortion, money laundering, association, illicit trafficking of weapons and ammunition, terrorism and financing of terrorism,” confirmed prosecutor Tarek William Saab on the social network X on Thursday.
Gerso Guerrero Flores was arrested in Barcelona, Spain, on March 14, by a National Police unit created specifically to investigate the possible establishment of the Tren de Aragua organization in Spain. Five days after the arrest, Venezuela requested his extradition.
His brother, Hector Guerrero, known by the alias “Niño Guerrero”, is on the list of 21 Venezuelan criminals on red alert with Interpol.
The Tren de Aragua gang was created in 2014 and became a criminal multinational with branches in Latin America to extort, murder, prostitute and traffic drugs, as well as engage in clandestine immigration and illegal mining.
The U.S. State Department is even offering up to $12 million in rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the leaders of the Aragua Train.
“We will deploy all tools and authorities against organizations like Tren de Aragua that prey on vulnerable populations to generate revenue, engage in a variety of criminal activities across borders, and abuse the U.S. financial system,” the U.S. Treasury’s Brian Nelson said in a statement Thursday, citing a “growing threat” posed by the organization.
In a video posted on social media that circulated this Thursday, Gerso Guerro Flores is seen handcuffed and escorted by members of the Venezuelan Special Actions Brigade (BAE).
The Venezuelan government is offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Hector Guerrero.
Venezuelan authorities say the criminal organization was dismantled after the intervention, on September 20, 2023, of the Tocorón prison (Aragua state, north) from where “Niño Guerrero” and his accomplices ran this gang, which also had an arsenal of war inside the facility.
According to the prosecutor in March, the investigations into the Aragua Train began in 2019 and the toll reached 44 of its members detained, while 102 have arrest warrants.
“It is a fight without quarter against this criminal gang,” Saab said at the time.
According to the report provided by the Prosecutor’s Office in March, 10 criminal gangs have been “dismantled or severely hit” in the last five years, totaling 166 arrests, 32 convictions and 144 arrest warrants.
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