Spanish police said on Friday they had carried out raids in five cities, arresting 13 people accused of belonging to the first known cell of the Venezuelan criminal gang ‘Tren de Aragua’ to be uncovered in Spain.
Tren de Aragua has become one of the most violent transnational criminal networks in Latin America. Originally formed inside Venezuelan prisons, the group is involved in drug and human trafficking as well as extortion.
The United States designated it a global terrorist organisation earlier this year, citing the group’s expanding activities beyond Latin America.
According to police, the arrests took place in Barcelona, Madrid, Girona, La Coruña, and Valencia—cities with some of Spain’s largest Venezuelan immigrant communities.
Officers seized synthetic drugs, cocaine, a marijuana plantation, and two laboratories used to produce “tusit,” or pink cocaine—a substance known to be trafficked by the gang.
The large-scale operation followed the 2024 arrest in Barcelona of the alleged gang leader’s brother, who was accused of attempting to expand the group’s operations into Spain.
