State Department Offers $50 Million for Tren de Aragua Leaders
Rewards target three leaders of the Venezuelan gang, which the U.S. designates a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Drug Crime
The State Department announced reward offers totaling up to $50 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of three Tren de Aragua leaders. The offers were issued under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program alongside a superseding indictment filed in the Southern District of Texas.
Why it matters
The move raises pressure on the gang's leadership by offering substantial payments for tips, and it follows the group's designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The indictment adds material support charges, linking the leaders' alleged narcotrafficking and violence to terrorism-related prosecution.
The superseding indictment in the Southern District of Texas charges Yohan José Romero, Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, and Juan Gabriel Rivas Núñez with conspiracy to provide material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, with Mosquera Serrano also charged with cocaine distribution offenses. Whether any of the three has been arrested or is in custody is not stated in the source.
The players
Tren de Aragua
A Venezuelan transnational criminal gang designated by the U.S. government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, extortion, and violence across several countries.
U.S. Department of State
The federal department that issued the reward offers through its Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The U.S. federal law enforcement agency that coordinated on the reward announcement and lists Mosquera Serrano among its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.
The details
The reward offers were announced by the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in coordination with the FBI, DEA, and Department of Justice. Romero, described as the group's current leader, directs its narcotrafficking, illegal gold mining in Venezuela, and murders, while Mosquera Serrano, one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, oversees operations in the United States, Colombia, and Central America.
Timeline
July 29, 2026: Superseding indictment filed in the Southern District of Texas.
November 5, 2026: State Department announced the increased and new reward offers.
Legal Context
The reward offers are issued under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, the same framework the State Department uses to pursue transnational criminal leaders. Tren de Aragua's designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization lets prosecutors bring material-support charges that treat drug-trafficking leadership as terrorism-related conduct.
For residents in Venezuela, Colombia, Central America, and U.S. communities where Tren de Aragua has operated, the offers may lead to new tips and investigative activity. The source does not describe specific changes to local policing or safety advisories.
The takeaway
Large reward offers signal that U.S. authorities are prioritizing the arrest of transnational gang leaders who are also treated as terrorist-linked. Readers following organized crime should watch for whether the indictment or the rewards produce arrests or new tips.
Further reading
Follow related coverage in Drug Crime for ongoing cartel and trafficking investigations.
