Venezuela Rejects the Accusation of Links With the Tren de Aragua

The Attorney General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, condemned the request of US congressmen Marco Rubio and María Elvira Salazar to declare the criminal group known as the "Tren de Aragua” as a transnational criminal organization linked to the Venezuelan state.

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At a press conference, Saab said he was not surprised by the use of the subterfuge of the fight against crime as a pretext to impose more sanctions against Venezuela and sully the state.

The Prosecutor denounced that, under the campaign against state crime, the United States could intensify sanctions and apply new coercive measures against the Latin American nation.

Investigations against the “Tren de Aragua” began in 2019 and the band was dismantled in Venezuela after an operation to identify and arrest the main leaders.

The Prosecutor recalled that, "67 arrest warrants were requested and 28 of them materialized. In addition, there are 21 alerts to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) against the organization.

However, Saab stated that there was no cooperation from the US on police and criminal matters, he also stated that many involved in the Aragua Train are fleeing to the US because they have immunity there, thanks to Washington’s refusal to cooperate with the Caracas government.

Saab condemned the action of the congressmen adding, "The key in the transnational struggle is criminal and police cooperation; not persecution against the states (...). That is the way, not this one they are inventing to damage Venezuelan democracy to take advantage or political advantage".