Wed Jun 25 00:25:01 UTC 2025: **U.S. Offers $3 Million Reward for Leader of Venezuelan Gang, Tren de Aragua**

**Washington D.C.** – The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to the arrest of Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, the alleged leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TDA). The announcement comes as the Treasury Department sanctioned Mosquera Serrano and the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging him with drug trafficking and terrorism-related offenses.

Mosquera Serrano has also been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Tren de Aragua, under Mosquera Serrano’s leadership, is “terrorizing our communities and facilitating the flow of illicit narcotics into our country.”

This action is part of the Trump administration’s broader campaign to crack down on what it claims is criminal activity linked to foreign gangs operating in the U.S. The administration has previously designated Tren de Aragua as a “foreign terrorist organization,” a move typically reserved for groups with violent political agendas.

The Trump administration has asserted that Tren de Aragua is coordinating its U.S. activities with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a claim used to justify utilizing the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expedite the deportation of alleged gang members. This led to the deportation of over 200 individuals, many without criminal records, to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, sparking criticism and legal challenges over due process concerns.

Despite the administration’s claims, questions have been raised regarding the extent of Maduro’s involvement with Tren de Aragua. An intelligence memo from April suggested that while Venezuela’s environment enables the gang to operate, the Maduro regime is likely not directing its activities in the U.S.

The U.S. and Colombia previously offered joint rewards for information on Mosquera Serrano and other TDA leaders last July, and the gang was sanctioned as a transnational criminal organization for various crimes, including human smuggling, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Tren de Aragua’s rapid growth has posed challenges to numerous Latin American countries, with links to political assassinations and human trafficking, though experts say evidence of the gang’s infiltration in the U.S. remains limited.

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