Colombian authorities arrest a top Tren de Aragua figure wanted by Interpol for drug trafficking, extortion and money laundering across the Americas and Europe.
SANTA MARTA: Colombian police have detained a senior leader of the transnational criminal network Tren de Aragua.
Jorge Luis Páez Cordero, known as “Cucaracho,” was arrested in the city of Santa Marta.
Police stated Cordero was a close associate of the network’s leader, “Niño Guerrero,” and coordinated shipments of tonnes of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela to Central America, the United States and Europe.
He was also wanted under an Interpol Red Notice for organising extortion, kidnapping and money laundering in the Caribbean region.
A video released by investigators shows a special unit entering Cordero’s luxury home and finding him asleep in his bedroom.
Police seized four mobile phones and a tablet for examination.
Tren de Aragua, which originates in Venezuela, is considered one of the region’s most influential criminal networks.
It is linked to drug trafficking, extortion and kidnapping.
Experts describe the group as a loose network of gangs rather than a tightly managed international cartel.
The arrest follows a major escalation of drug-related violence in Mexico.
At least 74 people were killed in clashes and riots during a recent military operation against Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”.
The cartel boss died from injuries sustained in crossfire while being transported to Mexico City for treatment.
Alleged cartel members subsequently set up roadblocks, set vehicles on fire and attacked businesses.
(Bernama-dpa)
