A forceful police operation managed to stop the expansion of the Aragua Train in European territory. The Spanish authorities confirmed this Friday, November 7, the capture of thirteen people accused of being part of the first cell of the powerful Venezuelan criminal organization based in Spain.

The coup occurred within the framework of Operation Interciti, led by the Spanish National Police with support from the Colombian Police and the Ameripol–The Pact 2.0 project of the European Union.

The arrests were made in Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Gerona, La Coruña and Valencia. Four of those captured already face provisional detention by court order.

During the action, two clandestine laboratories were dismantled where pink cocaine or ‘tusi’, one of the group’s most popular and profitable synthetic drugs, was produced. Doses of traditional cocaine and a marijuana plantation were also found.

According to authorities, drug trafficking continues to be one of the main sources of financing for the Aragua Train, along with human trafficking and extortion.

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The investigations date back to March 2024, when the brother of “Niño Guerrero”, international leader of the Aragua Train, was arrested in Barcelona. From that arrest, the agents detected that the gang was trying to replicate its hierarchical structure in Spain, organizing subgroups dedicated to the production and distribution of drugs.

The organization, born in the 2000s in the Venezuelan states of Aragua and Carabobo, has spread its presence throughout Latin America, including Colombia, Peru and Chile, and was now trying to make its way into Europe.

The authorities continue with investigations to locate other possible members of the network, while international controls are reinforced to prevent the expansion of the most feared criminal gang in Venezuela.

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