Two United Cartels leaders charged with meth trafficking, terror support
The Justice Department on Thursday announced it has charged multiple members of the Tren de Aragua and United Cartels organizations for crimes including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping and various firearms offenses, the department said in separate press releases.
Eight alleged members of Tren de Aragua, who prosecutors said entered the United States illegally between December 2021 and April 2024, were charged in Illinois and Texas with actions meant to maintain or increase their position in the gang, according to the department. Tren de Aragua began as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s and has since grown into a transnational criminal organization, the department said. More than 300 members and associates have been charged to date.
The United Cartels is primarily known for the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine, the Justice Department said. Two high-ranking members of the group were charged with trafficking immense amounts of methamphetamine into the United States and supporting a foreign terrorist organization, the department said. The organization operates from hubs in Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago, as well as locations in Europe and Australia, according to the department.
The indictments are the latest in a string of efforts by U.S. authorities against Latin American and Caribbean criminal organizations engaging in narcoterrorism and other crimes in the United States.