US sanctions fugitive in renewed campaign on transnational crime » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 25 – The United States has escalated its offensive against the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua by sanctioning Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, a fugitive senior leader accused of overseeing drug trafficking, extortion, and murder across the Western Hemisphere.

The Department of the Treasury, through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), announced the sanctions Tuesday, describing Mosquera Serrano as a central figure in the Venezuelan-origin gang’s sprawling criminal operations.

He is believed to have played a pivotal role in managing the financial lifelines that sustain the organization’s illicit activities, particularly in Colombia, where he directed drug shipments, carried out murders, and orchestrated extortion campaigns.

Tren de Aragua, once a prison-based gang, has grown into one of the hemisphere’s most dangerous and far-reaching criminal enterprises.

The US formally designated the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity earlier this year, citing its involvement in drug trafficking, human smuggling, sexual exploitation, and money laundering.

The group’s reach now spans multiple countries in Latin America and has begun to extend into the United States, prompting urgent action from federal authorities.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent underscored the severity of the threat, stating that the gang continues to terrorize communities while funneling narcotics into the United States.

“Tren de Aragua remains focused on terrorizing our communities and facilitating the flow of illicit narcotics into our country, relying on key leaders like Mosquera Serrano to finance and oversee their violent operations,” said Bessent.

He pointed to Mosquera Serrano as one of the key operatives responsible for financing and executing the group’s violent strategies, declaring that the US will not relent in its mission to dismantle such operations and “Make America Safe Again.”

$3 million reward

The sanctions are part of a coordinated push by multiple US agencies.

Alongside Treasury’s action, the FBI has placed Mosquera Serrano on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, reflecting the urgency of the manhunt.

Simultaneously, the Department of Justice unsealed a criminal indictment charging him with a series of terrorism-related offenses and narcotics crimes.

The Department of State has also stepped in, offering a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Under the sanctions imposed Tuesday, all property and interests belonging to Mosquera Serrano within US jurisdiction are now blocked.

American individuals and entities are barred from engaging in any transactions with him. Foreign financial institutions could also face penalties if found facilitating any significant activity on his behalf.

The United States warned that anyone doing business with the fugitive leader risks becoming entangled in the expanding net of sanctions enforcement.

OFAC emphasized that while sanctions are powerful tools to isolate criminal actors, they are also intended to pressure changes in behavior.

The designation of Mosquera Serrano, officials said, sends a clear signal that the US will continue to target not just criminal organizations but also the individuals who enable them—wherever they operate and however deeply they are embedded in local and international networks.

The crackdown on Mosquera Serrano follows OFAC’s previous designation of Tren de Aragua as a significant transnational criminal organization in July 2024.