Report: Tren de Aragua Gang Leader Busted in California

An alleged leader of the violent Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang was reportedly recently arrested in Los Angeles County.

The Venezuelan who is in the United States illegally was identified as Yonaiker Gallegos, Fox News reported Tuesday, noting he was accused of using the name “Yoniaker(sic) Rafel Martinez-Ramos” and is now in custody on immigration charges.

Local authorities had already nabbed the man in regard to alleged blank checks and a deceptive government identification.

In a social media post Tuesday, Fox News’s Bill Melugin said a senior Trump administration official told the outlet about the arrest, saying he was nabbed on Friday by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for Title 8 violations.

The official stated:

On Wednesday April 23, 2025, HSI National Gang Unit was able to obtain pictures of Martinez-Ramos’s tattoos and booking photos, and by utilizing several of the advanced analytical tools, analysts were able to locate several social media photos and postings and conduct facial comparison ultimately positively confirming that Martinez-Ramos was in fact Yonaiker Gallegos.

According to the Fox News report, Martinez-Ramos “was arrested on April 25 for Title 8 (immigration) violations, according to the senior official, who also said he was ‘identified as a leader of TDA based in California.'”

Melugin’s post included images of the suspect that highlighted his tattoos. A video clip appears to show the suspect with a firearm and hand grenade with two more of the devices hanging from a chain around his neck. Click here to see the clip.

The Fox article said authorities with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed the suspect had been taken into custody.

The U.S. Department of State in February designated the TdA gang among others as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs):

TdA is a transnational organization that originated in Venezuela with cells in Colombia, Peru, and Chile, with further reports of sporadic presence in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Brazil. This brutal criminal group has conducted kidnappings, extorted businesses, bribed public officials, authorized its members to attack and kill U.S. law enforcement, and assassinated a Venezuelan opposition figure.

The news about Gallegos’ arrest comes after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Venezuelan government officials may be using TdA gang members as proxies for Dictator Nicolas Maduro’s regime as a way to destabilize other nations including the United States, per Breitbart News.

“The report comes as President Donald Trump and his administration have faced legal challenges from several judges in response to the deportations of Venezuelan migrants who are suspected of being TdA members under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act,” the outlet said.