Rewards Totaling $50 Million Offered for Three Tren de Aragua Leaders

Federal officials raised the rewards for Tren de Aragua's three top leaders to a combined $50 million, the Justice Department announced on November 5. The U.S. has designated the Venezuelan gang a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Key points

• Amounts: A 48-year-old leader's reward jumps to $20 million from $4 million, a 37-year-old's rises to $15 million from $5 million, and a 44-year-old gets a first-time offer of $15 million.
• Who pays: A State Department narcotics and law enforcement bureau funds the rewards, which cover tips leading to an arrest or conviction anywhere in the world.
• Charges: All three are accused in Texas federal court of giving material support to the gang, and a nine-count indictment returned in July 2026 was recently unsealed. The 37-year-old, who also faces cocaine charges, is one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted. The release notes the defendants are presumed innocent.
• Alleged crimes: The department says the gang started inside a Venezuelan prison in the mid-2000s and is accused of trafficking, kidnapping, extortion and ATM "jackpotting" attacks aimed at or carried out in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and other countries.

Quick take

Attorney General Todd Blanche said more than 350 of the gang's members and associates have been charged since President Trump returned to office. Aaron Reitz, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, called the three "monsters" and said he expects the bigger rewards to bring them to his district for trial.

Read the full story at U.S. Department of Justice.