The Venezuelan drug cartel whose boats were attacked by Trump was establishing a foothold in Barcelona.

BarcelonaThe Aragua Train was meant to connect Aragua with Carabobo, both Venezuelan states. The project began in 2005, and a workers' union took complete control of job allocation. They soon became corrupt and began extorting contractors. As police sources often say, the world of crime offers easy money and is difficult to escape. When construction of these railway lines was halted in 2011, the union was already considered a criminal gang: the Aragua Train. This was the criminal seed of a group that consolidated itself a little over a decade ago in Tocorón prison, in eastern Aragua, extorting inmates and controlling the flow of drugs into the penitentiary. And a leader rose to power: Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as the Warrior ChildHe was imprisoned in 2013 and forged ties with the internal union leaders. The group grew in number, sporting tattoos of locomotives and messages like "son of God" all over their bodies. They committed murders, kidnappings, and attacks, and played a very active role in human and drug trafficking to the United States. The cartel expanded through Venezuela, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, eventually reaching the US. And now, it was attempting to establish itself in Spain.

The National Police have arrested thirteen people who allegedly belonged to the first cell of the Tren de Aragua cartel established in the state. Many of those arrested lived in Catalonia: eight arrests were made in Barcelona and three in Girona. The others were in Madrid, A Coruña, and Valencia. To understand their deep roots in the country, one must go back to the figure of Niño Guerrero (Warrior Child). The gang's leader escaped from prison and is now one of the most wanted fugitives in the United States, which considers him a terrorist. The U.S. State Department is offering up to five million dollars for a tip leading to his capture. The Trump administration assured that one of the drug-running boats that has recently been shot down It was driven by members of the Tren de Aragua gang, a claim that the Venezuelan government denied.

Before escaping, the Warrior Child turned Tocorón prison into a resortIt had a nightclub, a swimming pool, a baseball field, and even exotic animals like tigers and crocodiles. The Tren de Aragua gang's deep roots in Spain have a name: Niño Guerrero's brother. In March 2024, National Police investigators arrested Gerson Guerrero in Barcelona, considered one of the promoters of the gang's international expansion. He was subject to an international arrest warrant issued by Venezuelan authorities for his alleged involvement in terrorism, human trafficking, arms trafficking, extortion, money laundering, and criminal conspiracy. This was the seed of the police investigation in Spain.

Hierarchical organization and drug trafficking

The National Police created a task force solely dedicated to investigating the tentacles of the Tren de Aragua gang in the state. The objective was to determine whether Gerson Guerrero was in Catalonia to hide or expand his operations. Ultimately, it turned out to be the latter: they uncovered a hierarchical organization operating in various parts of Spain, with several lieutenants in each area, profiting primarily from drug trafficking. Specifically, there were two substructures dedicated to cooking tusis, a type of synthetic drug, inside their own homes. Also called pink cocaine due to its characteristic color, it is one of the most fashionable drugs on the streets, according to police sources. It is a mixture of MDMA, caffeine, and ketamine, causing very strong hallucinations. Although it does not contain cocaine, its powdered form has led to this comparison. The gang cooked this drug in two laboratories and then distributed it. They also trafficked cocaine and had marijuana plantations.

Agents have carried out five raids in Barcelona, ​​Madrid, A Coruña, and Girona, seizing various quantities of synthetic drugs, cocaine, and marijuana. Four of those arrested have already been remanded in custody by order of Judge Antonio Piña of the National Court. However, investigators are continuing their inquiries to identify other members of the network. They are still analyzing the items seized during the raids and other possible branches of the group.