Up to $50 million total, three fugitives, and nine counts in a newly unsealed indictment. Federal authorities have sharply raised the bounty on three men they describe as the top leaders of Tren de Aragua (TdA). One of them, already on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, is accused of moving cocaine from Colombia toward the United States. The Justice Department said that the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is offering rewards under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to $50 million total for information leading to their arrests and/or convictions in any country.

Who Is Charged in the Tren de Aragua Indictment

The three men are Yohan José Romero, 48, known as “Yohan Petrica”; Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, 37, known as “El Viejo”; and Juan Gabriel Rivas Núñez, 44, known as “Juancho.” According to the Justice Department, all three were previously charged in a 2025 six-count second superseding indictment in the Southern District of Texas on material support charges. A nine-count third superseding indictment was later returned in July 2026 and unsealed this week.

The drug counts in the case are against one man. In those indictments, Mosquera Serrano is also charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine and international cocaine distribution. The FBI’s wanted listing describes the allegation as conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States. Mosquera Serrano is on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. Jose Romero and Rivas Núñez are also fugitives.

The new reward amounts break down like this:

• Romero: The reward for information leading to Romero’s arrest or conviction increased from $4 million to $20 million.
• Mosquera Serrano: raised from up to $5 million to up to $15 million.
• Rivas Núñez: A new reward of up to $15 million was announced for him.

The State Department says the two younger men answer to Romero. Mosquera Serrano and Rivas Núñez are each second-in-command to Romero. Mosquera Serrano directs operations in the United States, Colombia, and Central America, while Rivas Núñez leads operations in Venezuela.

The bounties keep climbing. In June 2024, the U.S. Department of State announced three reward offers totaling up to $12 million for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of three leaders of Tren de Aragua, which included up to $3 million for Mosquera Serrano. Mosquera Serrano, an alleged senior leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list June 24, 2025. He is the first TdA member to appear on the list.

Officials Frame TdA as a Narco-Terror Threat

U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz of the Southern District of Texas didn’t hold back: “These gang members are monsters, and we’ve indicted them as such.” Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department “has charged more than 350 members and associates of Tren de Aragua” since President Trump returned to office.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said the three men have played key roles in directing and expanding Tren de Aragua’s operations throughout the Western Hemisphere. Jason Hudson, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Houston, said the three men and their organization “are accused of a long list of crimes that include murders, kidnappings, drug and sex trafficking, and illegal gold mining operations” that fund TdA’s activities.

The DOJ says TdA began as a Venezuelan prison gang in the mid-2000s. Its alleged activities now include drug and firearms trafficking, sex trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion. Prosecutors also say the group runs ATM “jackpotting” schemes and has targeted or carried out ATM jackpotting attacks in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign nations. The DEA’s 2025 NDTA includes overviews of the cartels and criminal organizations that were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), and TdA is one of the groups covered.

The reward announcement follows a major blow to the group’s command. In earlier reporting, The Epoch Times said a military strike killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Niño Guerrero, then identified as the leader of Tren de Aragua.

Federal Penalties: Material Support and International Cocaine Charges

All three men face material support charges under 18 U.S.C. § 2339B. Under that statute, anyone who knowingly provides material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and, if the death of any person results, shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life.

Officials have not publicly said how much cocaine is involved in the international distribution counts against Mosquera Serrano. That number matters, because sentences under federal drug-importation law depend on drug weight. Offenses under 21 U.S.C. § 959, which covers making or distributing drugs abroad for import into the U.S., are punished under 21 U.S.C. § 960(a)(3) and (b), with the same drug-amount ranges and minimums as importation. If prosecutors prove 5 kilograms or more of a cocaine mixture, the defendant shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years and not more than life, plus fines of up to $10 million for an individual. For a breakdown of these thresholds, see our guide to federal drug trafficking penalties and mandatory minimums by drug and weight.

Why Cocaine Charges Hit Close to Home in Houston

The case is being prosecuted in Houston, where cocaine is a major factor in overdose deaths. According to the Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), although cocaine was involved in the most drug-related deaths in 2024, the number declined to 423. Houston HIDTA also reported that in 2024, the number of accidental overdose deaths in Harris County was 942 (analysis of preliminary data obtained through April 30, 2025), a 14.1% decline compared to 2023. It warned that the threat levels from popular illicit drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine are greatly elevated because these drug types may contain fentanyl.

National data point the same way. In the DEA’s 2025 assessment, recent data from the National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) indicated one in four submissions of cocaine and one in eight submissions of methamphetamine also included fentanyl. Statewide, CDC WONDER data compiled by KFF show Texas recorded 4980 drug overdose deaths, a rate of 15.8 per 100,000 population, in 2024, down from 5,687 in 2023. Across the country, the CDC reports that for drug overdose deaths involving cocaine, the rate decreased by 26.7% from 2023 (8.6) to 2024 (6.3). For more on the national picture, see where U.S. overdose death numbers stand.

What Happens Next for the Three Fugitives

None of the three men is in U.S. custody, so there are no court dates yet. Federal officials are asking the public for help. Anyone with information can reach the FBI through WhatsApp or Telegram at 281-787-9939, contact a local FBI office or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

The FBI and DEA are leading the investigation with help from the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Colombian National Police, and Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office. The case is part of Joint Task Force Vulcan and the Homeland Security Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz are prosecuting, along with JTFV attorneys. Because the indictment was returned in Texas, any defendant who is captured would face the charges in federal court there. Our explainer on federal vs. state drug charges covers how that process works.

The charges are allegations only. The Justice Department notes that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.