Tren de Aragua Will Likely Survive Maduro’s Capture, Say Experts

TdA’s name translates as the ‘train of Aragua’ and refers to a failed railway project funded by a large loan from China.

Salvadoran prison guards escort alleged members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in this handout image obtained on March 31, 2025. Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via Reuters

When deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro appeared in court on Jan. 5, an indictment accused him and his wife, Cilia Flores, of a string of charges, including conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and narcoterrorism.

One of his co-accused named in the indictment was Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, aka “Niño Guerrero,” one of the founders of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) drug cartel.