The US government has upped the ante in its pursuit of Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, an alleged leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua on the FBI's Most Wanted list, raising the reward for information leading to his arrest to $5 million, up from $3 million. The move, announced Wednesday as part of a State Department organized crime rewards program, aims to bring Mosquera Serrano into custody on a series of drug and terrorism-related charges, per CBS News. He is currently facing indictments in Texas for international cocaine trafficking and supporting a foreign terrorist organization.
Authorities previously said Mosquera Serrano, known as "El Viejo," is likely to be in Venezuela or Colombia, per News Nation. The Trump administration has designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, part of a broader effort to pressure Venezuela and its president, Nicolás Maduro. This campaign has included an increased US military presence in the Caribbean and a series of strikes on vessels suspected of transporting Venezuelan drugs, which have raised concerns about potential war crimes and human rights violations.
Tren de Aragua, which originated in Venezuela's Tocorón prison, is accused of a wide range of violent crimes, including murder, human trafficking, and kidnapping. The gang expanded under the leadership of Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, who allegedly controlled the prison and several gold mines before escaping custody. Mosquera Serrano and other alleged members have been hit with US Treasury sanctions, with 11 more affiliates added to the list on Wednesday. They include Venezuelan entertainer Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, aka "Rosita," who the Treasury says helped Guerrero Flores escape prison in 2012 and provided material support to the gang.
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