The United States has launched an unprecedented strike against the Aragua Train (TdA), the transnational criminal organization originating from Venezuela. On September 24, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a formal indictment in the Southern District of New York against 10 gang members for violent crimes, including a double homicide in the Bronx.
This move reinforces Washington’s strategy of treating the TdA not merely as a gang, but as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), equating it with groups like ISIS or Al-Qaeda.
The Crime That Triggered the Indictment
According to the unsealed indictment, on May 24, 2024, the accused allegedly murdered Claretha LaQuesha Daniels (44) and Justin Lawless (36) near 2290 Davidson Avenue, Bronx, New York. A third victim was injured with multiple gunshots.
The primary accused are:
Keiber Jaén Martínez (“Keybe”)
Samuel González Castro (“Klei” or “Kley”)
Eferson Morillo-Gómez (“Jefferson” or “Efe Trebol”)
Keiver Silva-Jiménez (“Chuky”) – at large
Keineyer Ibarra-Mujica (“Keiner”)
Marlon Farias (“Bili”) – previously deported from the U.S.
Additionally, González Castro is linked to a shooting in Queens on August 4, 2024, against a member of the rival gang “Anti-Tren,” where an innocent bystander was injured.
The Designation as a Terrorist Organization
The Aragua Train was designated an FTO in February 2025 under the Trump administration. This classification allows for freezing assets, increasing surveillance, speeding up deportations, and facilitating extraditions, applying the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for expedited removals.
For Pamela Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, this case “marks a turning point” in the fight against Venezuelan organized crime on U.S. soil. The Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, has supported the policy of “arresting and deporting foreign terrorists.”
The Legal Framework: RICO, VICAR, and More
The DOJ has utilized a federal legal framework against transnational organized crime:
RICO (18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)): Conspiracy to participate in a criminal enterprise. Penalty: up to life imprisonment.
VICAR (18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(1)): Murder for the benefit of the organization. Penalty: life imprisonment or death.
Sex Trafficking Conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 1591): Minimum penalty of 15 years.
Drug and Weapons Trafficking (21 U.S.C. § 846; 18 U.S.C. § 924): Penalty of up to 40 years.
Illegal Reentry (8 U.S.C. § 1326): Penalty of up to 20 years.
This “megacase” relies on testimonies from cooperators, surveillance from HSI, and forensic ballistic analysis.
Procedural Implications
The case, prosecuted in the Southern District of New York, argues that the cases have been presented under a “whole government approach” by coordinating agencies like ICE, ATF, and NYPD.
Eight defendants remain in preventive custody; one is at large with an Interpol alert.
Bondi and federal agents labeled the TdA as a “terror regime” in New York. The indictment is part of a broader wave: 27 indicted in April and 30 in Colorado in August on similar charges.
Legal experts believe that the FTO designation and the accumulated evidence make acquittal difficult.
If convictions are confirmed, the TdA leaders could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The DOJ’s statement ensures that the Aragua Train case in the Bronx symbolizes the intensification of the U.S. fight against Venezuelan transnational organized crime.
Beyond the judicial impact, this process redefines how Washington approaches international gangs: from “criminal bands” to foreign terrorist organizations.
With this process, the DOJ seeks to send a clear message: no foreign criminal organization has a free pass on U.S. soil.