Tren de Aragua gang wanted for weapons trafficking: Kudos to ERO El Paso FBI Albuquerque
TREN de ARAGUA gang member, Venezuelan FUGITIVE & illegal alien arrested by HSI El Paso special agents in Albuquerque, NM.
Leonel Bustamante-Sanchez is wanted for weapons trafficking. Kudos to ERO El Paso FBI Albuquerque & NM State Police for the assist in taking him off the streets!
What we know: An August 2025 arrest of Tren de Aragua gang members in Albuquerque, including Venezuelan nationals charged with firearms offenses, was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and supported by the FBI and New Mexico State Police.
While the specific case you referenced, including the name Leonel Bustamante-Sanchez and a weapons trafficking charge, was not found in the search results, it may relate to ongoing efforts targeting the gang in the region.
How danger is the Tren de Aragua gang:
The gang originated in Venezuela but has expanded throughout South America, making a single, global count complex. Some reports indicate that it operates more as a network of “franchises” than a fully centralized organization.
Sources like Wikipedia list over 7,000 members, while crime analysts have provided figures around 5,000 or even half that amount.
A conflict with another gang in Bogotá reportedly resulted in more than 36 deaths.
In Bogotá between 2022 and 2023, authorities documented at least 57 cases of bodies found in bags in public spaces, many dismembered and with signs of torture, with Tren de Aragua believed to be responsible for many of the killings.
HSI El Paso was assisted by Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) El Paso, the FBI’s Albuquerque division, and the New Mexico State Police.
Bustamante-Sanchez is a fugitive wanted for weapons trafficking. He is an alleged member of the Tren de Aragua gang.
