The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, assured this Friday that the Mexican Government has not detected a “significant” or “alarming” presence of the transnational criminal group, known as the Aragua Train, in the country.
García Harfuch stated in a presidential press conference that, based on information from the security cabinet, the criminal behavior identified is concentrated above all in the center of the country and led to recent arrests.
“Of the 11 federal entities, where we have had the most presence and where there have been the most arrests is in the central zone,” said the official, without specifying the states with the presence of the criminal organization born in the prisons of Venezuela.
The security chief maintained that the Government’s strategy aimed to increase the capacity to identify and arrest alleged members.
“We do not have a significant or alarming presence in these 11 entities,” added the official.
More context: Six members of the ‘Tren de Aragua’ criminal group are detained in CDMX
Aragua train could be linked to Mexican cartels
The head of the SSPC explained that, although a major expansion is not observed, the cases attributed to this group were of high impact.
“They have been very regrettable crimes related to sexual exploitation, feminicide and they have been arrested for these crimes,” he noted, detailing that there are already ongoing judicial processes for arrests made in the first months of the current Government.
In this sense, García Harfuch pointed out that some of the arrests made in Mexico City have already led to sentences, according to local ministerial authorities.
When asked if the transnational gang Tren de Aragua operates in coordination with Mexican cartels, the secretary noted that the links detected were mainly with local structures in the capital, such as the Unión Tepito cartel.
The Aragua Train, originating in the prisons of Venezuela and accused in the region for crimes such as extortion and trafficking, were the subject of increasing attention in different Latin American countries.
In Mexico, García Harfuch said that the priority is to maintain coordinated operations with prosecutors and state corporations to contain their activity and sustain investigations.
Last Tuesday, Mexican authorities reported the arrest of at least six people, alleged members of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua, who would be related to crimes of extortion, human trafficking and drug trafficking.
With information from EFE
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