A man suspected of being a top leader of the renowned Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was charged on terrorism and drug trafficking charges by a federal grand jury in Texas this week, just days after being apprehended during a multinational raid in Colombia.
Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s largest criminal organization, is said to have originated in a Venezuelan prison that the gang renovated with restaurants, bars, and outdoor swimming pools. The organization expanded its presence to the United States, including Chicago, as tens of thousands of migrants arrived in 2022 and 2023.
Colombian officials, in collaboration with the US Drug Enforcement Administration and Peruvian authorities, apprehended Luis Saúl Páez Nieto, also known as “Nairobi,” a top associate of TdA commander Héctor Guerrero Flores, also known as “Niño Guerrero.”
American police have tied Nairobi to murder, kidnapping, extortion, and human trafficking, while South American officials claim he managed arms and drug-trafficking networks throughout the area.
On Wednesday, a federal grand jury in the Dallas region delivered a seven-count indictment charging Páez Nieto with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering. According to the indictment, Páez Nieto was a trusted facilitator for senior TdA leaders, including “Niño Guerrero,” who directed drug-trafficking and money-laundering operations involving a Peruvian-based TdA faction that transported cocaine, methamphetamine, and ketamine to the US for distribution.
The indictment reveals a gang structure in which local cells are supposed to pay some of their criminal proceeds to TdA leadership. Members who fail to pay may be threatened, beaten, or killed, according to the filing.
The indictment alleges that TdA generated revenue through narcotics trafficking, illicit gold mining, guns trafficking, human smuggling, sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, ATM jackpotting, and extortion.
In October 2023, the Chicago Police Department issued a warning to city officers regarding the existence of TdA members in Chicago’s migrant community, citing Cook County Sheriff’s Office information. The Chicago Sun-Times dismissed the idea, claiming there was “scant evidence” of a TdA presence among the roughly 20,000 Venezuelans who had landed in Chicago at the time. The newspaper’s claim was based on an examination of police reports from migrants detained for stealing and domestic violence.
Contrary to the newspaper’s conclusion, the gang was and continues to be present in Chicago, according to officials. Prosecutors in Chicago have linked its actions to a number of killings, kidnappings, human trafficking, gunrunning, and the drugs trade.
Páez Nieto faces a potential penalty of 20 years in jail on each of the two terrorism-related charges, as well as up to 20 years for the money-laundering conspiracy. According to the indictment, the cocaine and other narcotic counts may result in jail sentences ranging from ten years to life.
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