|
The arrests were made in five cities in the first operation in
Spain to dismantle a suspected cell of the Venezuelan prison
gang, which the U.S. government designated a foreign terrorist
organization in February, police said in a statement.
The gang has become a key reference in the Trump
administration's military strikes against suspected drug vessels
in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, and in its domestic
immigration crackdown.
As part of the operation, Spanish police said they dismantled
two laboratories used to make tusi — a mixture of cocaine, MDMA
and ketamine.
The arrests followed an investigation Spanish police opened last
year after the brother of “Niño Guerrero," the leader of the
Tren de Aragua gang, was arrested in Barcelona under an
international arrest warrant issued by Venezuelan authorities,
police said.
The Tren de Aragua gang originated in Venezuela more than a
decade ago at an infamously lawless prison with hardened
criminals in the central state of Aragua. The gang has expanded
in recent years as more than 7.7 million Venezuelans fled
economic turmoil and migrated to other Latin American countries,
the U.S. and Spain.
The Trump administration Friday announced yet another deadly
U.S. strike on a boat officials said was trafficking narcotics
in the Caribbean Sea, bringing the death toll from the
administration's campaign in South American waters up to at
least 69 people in at least 17 strikes.
U.S. President Donald Trump has justified the strikes by saying
his country is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels such as the
Tren de Aragua gang.
The arrests of the 13 took place in the Spanish cities of
Barcelona, Madrid, Girona, A Coruña and Valencia.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
