The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned several individuals and companies allegedly linked to the Tren de Aragua criminal organization. Photo: Department of the Treasury.
Guacamaya, December 3, 2025.The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Tuesday imposed new sanctions against a network of individuals and entities associated with Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Venezuelan criminal group designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The measure targets both the group’s leadership and facilitators within the entertainment industry.
Among those sanctioned is Venezuelan DJ, actress, and model Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, known as “Rosita,” who has a large social media following. According to the Treasury Department, Araya is part of a network of five entertainment-related individuals who allegedly provided financial and material support to TdA. U.S. authorities note that in 2012 she allegedly helped Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores (“Niño Guerrero”), the group’s leader, escape from Tocorón prison in Venezuela.
OFAC stated that a portion of the income generated from her performances in Colombian nightclubs was funneled to the organization’s financial structure. One of these venues, Maiquetía VIP Bar Restaurant in Bogotá, is owned by her former manager and bodyguard, Eryk Manuel Landaeta Hernández (“Eryk”), who was also designated. Landaeta, arrested in Colombia in October 2024, is accused of serving as the financial and logistical head of TdA operations in Bogotá, as well as participating in drug sales and money laundering.
The sanctions also target companies linked to both individuals: Eryk Producciones SAS and Maiquetía VIP Bar Restaurant, associated with Landaeta, and Global Import Solutions SA, tied to Araya. All are accused of acting directly or indirectly on behalf of the sanctioned individuals and the criminal organization.
OFAC additionally designated Kenffersso Jhosue Sevilla Arteaga (“El Flipper”), the right-hand man of Niño Guerrero until his arrest in November 2025 in Cúcuta, Colombia. According to official information, Sevilla Arteaga oversaw financial operations for TdA and was involved in extortion, kidnappings, and homicides across several Latin American countries. His company Yakera y Lane SAS was also sanctioned.
The new round of sanctions also includes alleged TdA members or associates in Venezuela: Richard José Espinal Quintero, Noé Manasés Aponte Córdova, Asdrúbal Rafael Escobar Cabrera, and Cheison Royer Guerrero Palma, the latter being Niño Guerrero’s half-brother and linked to the group’s expansion into Chile.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the designations reflect the Trump administration’s efforts to increase pressure on transnational criminal organizations. “Under President Trump, brutal terrorist cartels can no longer operate with impunity at our borders,” he said.
The State Department also announced an increased reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Mosquera Serrano, a previously sanctioned TdA leader.
As a result of these measures, all property and interests in property belonging to the designated individuals within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked. Transactions involving the sanctioned individuals are prohibited for U.S. persons and financial institutions, while foreign institutions may face secondary sanctions if they conduct significant transactions on behalf of those designated.
U.S. authorities emphasized that this action is part of ongoing coordination among federal agencies—including the Justice Department’s Joint Task Force Vulcan, the DEA, and the FBI—as well as international law enforcement partners.
