“In Mexico, They’ve Already Realized That We Venezuelans Like to Kill People”

“In Mexico, they’ve already realized that we Venezuelans like to kill people,” a member of the Aragua Train, which operates in Mexico City, told MILENIO.

“Venezuelans, we’ll do anything to satisfy our hunger. We kill for our family, whether it’s legal or illegal. That’s why you tell any Venezuelan that you’re going to give them so much, and they kill whoever it is,” the former inmate added.

Interviewed shortly after 10:00 p.m. on a rainy day, the man, of Venezuelan origin, asked that his name and the location of the encounter, which took place in a small room measuring about 12 square meters, not be revealed.

He was accompanied by other Venezuelans, who ensured that no images that could reveal their identity were taken.

In the house where the interview is taking place, the smells of dampness and food mingle in the air, while mice and dogs roam the entrance.

—How much of a presence is there in Sullivan regarding the issue of prostitution?

“We brought most (of the women) who work there from Venezuela and other countries like Peru, Chile, and Colombia.”

The individual explains that the women are transported with what in South America is called a “fine,” meaning they travel legally, with a passport, are given a certain amount of dollars (whatever they are willing to pay abroad), and are guaranteed a place to stay and beauty products or the newest cell phones available.

Once they set foot in Mexico, they automatically become “debtors” in the service of the Tren de Aragua. The criminal group has located the girls’ addresses in Mexico City, but also those of their relatives and loved ones in Venezuela.

—Could it be said that they come in debt?—

“Yes, once they arrive in the country, they have to pay. We provide them with lodging, work, meals, if they want a new phone, everything.”

Members of the Tren de Aragua commit crimes, in addition to human trafficking, including migrant smuggling, drug dealing, robbery, illegal loans, kidnapping, and homicide.

“There are already Venezuelan nightclubs here in Garibaldi, I don’t know if you’ve seen them; artists and salsa singers come here,” the interviewee asserts.

One of its founders and main leader, Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias Niño Guerrero, is currently a fugitive from justice, and his whereabouts are unknown after his escape from Tocorón prison in 2023, the site where the Tren de Aragua began operating more than a decade ago. He is accused of homicide, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and terrorism, among other crimes.

“At that time, prison in Venezuela was a mess. There were nightclubs, women, singers; Neutro Shorty and Baby Rasta would go there to sing,” affirms the member of the Tren de Aragua.

In prison, he met Niño Guerrero; however, he tried not to “get into trouble.” He describes him as a man of short stature and decides not to speak further on the subject.

In Venezuela, he says, it’s common to find children as young as 14 selling drugs in “ollas” (drug outlets), which he asserts is not so different from Mexico.

Where does the Aragua Train operate in Mexico City?

A current Mexico City police source told MILENIO that the Aragua Train is primarily present in municipalities such as Venustiano Carranza, Gustavo A. Madero, Azcapotzalco, Tlalpan, Tláhuac, and Cuauhtémoc.

He also pointed out that they operate on James Sullivan Street in the Cuauhtémoc municipality, a street known for the prostitution networks operating there.

“Over the last five years or so, we’ve noticed a significant presence of Latin Americans in the various municipalities where we operate,” the source said.

He explained that young Venezuelans commit crimes in Mexico City because “they have nothing to lose,” seeking to escape the poverty of their country of origin and, in order to achieve this goal, they will seek a better quality of life.

Group Expanded Operations in Several Countries

The criminal organization, which began in Aragua, a Venezuelan state with a territory of just over seven thousand square meters, now has a presence in countries such as Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and the United States.

The US State Department is offering five million dollars for the capture of Niño Guerrero.

Michael Vigil, former director of International Operations of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in at least 36 countries, assured that Hector Rusthenford could be hiding in a country bordering Venezuela.

“There is some information (that) he is still in South America, possibly Colombia or Brazil, but the information focuses more on Colombia,” he said.

Although the criminal group has a presence in different countries, according to Michael Vigil, in the United States there is little; they are located mainly in New York, Chicago and Florida.

“Here they are few, nor are they organized as a gang group. Yes there are some, but they are not a force as they have said.

“Donald Trump started saying it was an invasion and it’s a lie. As I said, they are not a force here in this country.”

Source: Milenio