State Department offers $5 million for capture of Tren de Aragua’s leader
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced Thursday that authorities had captured Luis Saúl Pérez Nieto, an alleged senior Tren de Aragua leader, in Bogotá’s Fontibón district. Pérez Nieto, known by the aliases “Páez” and “Nairobi,” was identified by de la Espriella as the gang’s top leader in Peru and a trusted associate of Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores — “Niño Guerrero” — the leader of the Venezuelan criminal organization. “Colombia will not be a refuge or sanctuary for any criminal,” de la Espriella said. “We will pursue them, capture them and bring them to justice, no matter where they come from.”
The operation involved Colombia’s National Police and Attorney General’s Office, along with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to Colombian outlets. Peruvian media also reported the detention.
Colombian and U.S. officials have not publicly disclosed the jurisdiction handling the case, the specific charges against Pérez Nieto, or whether Washington has submitted an extradition request. Peruvian authorities had not announced whether Pérez Nieto faces charges or an extradition request there.
According to de la Espriella’s announcement, Pérez Nieto allegedly coordinated extortion, international arms trafficking, targeted killings and drug trafficking along strategic routes in South and Central America. Police sources told the Colombian outlet Semana that Pérez Nieto was allegedly involved in trafficking ketamine, cocaine and weapons from Bogotá, and that authorities had been tracking his movements in the Colombian capital before the arrest.
Tren de Aragua began as a prison gang in Venezuela’s Tocorón prison and has expanded across South and Central America and into the United States, engaging in murder, extortion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, sex trafficking, kidnapping and other violent acts. Washington designated it a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025. The State Department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Niño Guerrero, whom the U.S. government has accused of expanding Tren de Aragua from a prison gang into a criminal network operating across the Western Hemisphere.