Mexican authorities detained six members of the criminal group Tren de Aragua in Mexico City, including leader Lesli Valeri Flores Arrieta. The operation took place in Venustiano Carranza borough, with drugs, weapons, and extortion evidence seized. Omar García Harfuch announced the arrests via social media.
On January 13, 2026, elements from the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the National Guard, and the General Prosecutor's Office captured six members of Tren de Aragua in Colonia Valle Gómez, Venustiano Carranza borough, Mexico City. Among the detained is Lesli Valeri Flores Arrieta, 40 years old, alias 'Lesli', who served as the local cell's leader. According to authorities, she handled piso charges to human trafficking victims, specifically sex workers, and kept an extortion ledger in a seized notebook. She also acted as a negotiator with La Unión Tepito, another criminal group.
The other arrestees are Lesli's relatives and collaborators: Jorge Donovan Romero Flores, Giancarlo Romero Flores, Valeria Pineda Arredondo, and Diana Paola Ortega Pérez, who participated in narcotics distribution, extortion, and piso collection in various boroughs. Bryan Betancourt Olivera, captured in Iztapalapa, was the financial operator; he provided properties to shelter Venezuelan victims and group members, and had an arrest warrant for aggravated human trafficking and organized crime. He laundered money through bank accounts.
During the operation, coordinated with intelligence from the National Defense Secretariat and the Citizen Security Secretariat, authorities seized doses of methamphetamine and marijuana, cell phones, a short firearm, cash, computing equipment, and the aforementioned notebook with names linked to piso charges in city areas.
Tren de Aragua, originating from a Venezuelan prison over 10 years ago, engages in human trafficking, sexual exploitation, narcotrafficking, extortion, kidnappings, and homicides. It has expanded to Mexico and other countries, and was designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government under Donald Trump. This arrest adds to the October 2025 capture of Nelson Arturo Echezuria Alcántara, the main operator in Mexico, for similar crimes.
