DOJ Offers Up to $50M for Three Fugitive Tren de Aragua Leaders

By Marcus Bennett

The U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday combined rewards of up to $50 million for information leading to the arrests or convictions of three fugitive Tren de Aragua leaders. Yohan José Romero, 48, heads the list because court documents identify him as the gang’s current leader.

Who receives the rewards, and what do the charges say?

The Justice Department set separate maximum awards. Each offer covers information leading to an arrest or conviction.

• Yohan José Romero, 48: His reward rose from up to $4 million to up to $20 million, the largest offer.
• Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, 37, known as “El Viejo”: His reward tripled from up to $5 million to up to $15 million. He is already on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
• Juan Gabriel Rivas Núñez, 44: The Justice Department set a new reward of up to $15 million for him.

The three maximum awards add up to $50 million. The figures are maximums, not guaranteed payouts.

Federal prosecutors in Texas first brought material-support charges against all three men in 2025. A nine-count superseding indictment returned in July was unsealed in November. Mosquera Serrano also faces cocaine-trafficking charges. Those cases remain pending in Texas.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department had charged more than 350 Tren de Aragua members and associates since President Trump returned to office.

“Their criminal enterprise has spread fear, violence, and lawlessness, and we will not stop until those responsible are brought to justice,” Blanche said.

Who is the gang’s current leader?

Romero took over after a U.S. military strike reportedly killed his predecessor, Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Niño Guerrero, in June 2026.

Two months later, in August, Colombian forces captured Luis Saúl Pérez Nieto, the gang’s Peru chief. Court documents continued to identify Romero as the gang’s current leader.

Romero’s two deputies are accused of dividing the group’s work geographically. Prosecutors allege that Romero divides responsibility between Mosquera Serrano, who directs operations across the United States, Colombia and Central America, and Rivas Núñez, who oversees the gang’s operations in Venezuela.

In Venezuela, prosecutors say the group’s activities include illegal gold mining.

What is the gang’s history?

Tren de Aragua started as a prison gang in Venezuela. The Trump administration designated it a foreign terrorist organization in 2025.

In June 2025, Mosquera Serrano became the first member placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. The listing came before the Justice Department tripled his maximum reward to $15 million.

Prosecutors say the gang also made money in the United States through ATM “jackpotting,” which forces machines to dispense cash. Investigators say the alleged scheme targeted or hit machines in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and several foreign countries.

The cash-out allegations form part of the broader federal case against the three fugitives. All three face material-support charges arising from the organization’s activities, while Mosquera Serrano also faces allegations involving cocaine trafficking.

Who is pursuing the fugitives?

The FBI and DEA are working with Houston police, the U.S. Marshals Service and Colombian authorities. The agencies are pursuing targets whose alleged operations reach across several jurisdictions.

U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz of the Southern District of Texas tied the larger rewards to the prospect of bringing the men into his district.

“I’m confident the enhanced bounties will incentivize these terrorists’ return to my district, where we will bring them to justice,” Reitz said.

The charges remain pending in Texas.

What changes for practitioners?

For defense counsel, the immediate consequence is that all three men remain exposed to federal prosecution in Texas while the government combines rewards with a multi-agency search. Any assessment of the cases must begin with the material-support charges in the nine-count superseding indictment. Mosquera Serrano faces additional cocaine-trafficking allegations. The reward program increases the incentive to provide information, while the pending charges define the fugitives’ legal exposure.