Nelson Arturo ‘N’ was arrested, along with two collaborators, the security ministry said.
The alleged local leader of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has been arrested in Mexico City, Mexican authorities said on Saturday.
Mexico’s Ministry of Security said in a statement that a joint operation across many of its ministries and offices had led to the arrest of Nelson Arturo “N,” who they called the “leader of a transnational criminal organisation.”
Secretary of State for Security Omar Garcia Harfuch identified the gang as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua in a post on X.
En seguimiento a trabajos de investigación relacionados con la organización delictiva “Tren de Aragua”, elementos de @SSPCMexico, @Defensamx1, @SEMAR_mx, @FGRMexico, @GN_MEXICO_, @SSC_CDMX y @FiscaliaCDMX detuvieron en la Ciudad de México a Nelson Arturo “N”, alias “Nelson”,… pic.twitter.com/PHYbiAK9lu
— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) October 4, 2025
Arturo, 29, was identified as the “principal operator” of the Venezuelan gang in Mexico and has allegedly been linked to human trafficking, drug trafficking, homicide, kidnapping, and extortion.
Harfuch said the gang had operations in Puebla, Morelos, the State of Mexico, and various boroughs of Mexico City.
The ministry said that Mexico’s intelligence agencies had been monitoring Arturo as he operated in various states and municipalities of Mexico for some time.
During the arrest, they found Arturo with two alleged collaborators of the gang, Lucas Alberto “V,” aged 37, and Marcos Gabriel “O,” aged 36. They were allegedly in possession of 92 doses of marijuana, 44 doses of crystal methamphetamine, 18 doses of crack cocaine, two cell phones, and cash.
All three are of Venezuelan nationality, local media reported. Reports also noted that earlier in June, two other members of Tren de Aragua were arrested in Puebla. Both were Colombian nationals linked to alleged violent loan collections, extortion, and drug dealing. The Puebla Public Security Secretariat said at the time that gangs of Colombians and Venezuelans had been identified operating in surrounding municipalities.
The operation was carried out in coordination among various federal law enforcement agencies and the Attorney General’s Office in Mexico City.
Authorities said that Arturo was in hiding, facing an arrest warrant for public health crimes and criminal association. The two direct associates also had outstanding arrest warrants related to alleged human trafficking and organized crime.
A Terrorist Organization
The U.S. State Department designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization in February. The gang, also known as the “Train of Aragua,” has a presence in several Latin American countries, including Colombia, Peru, Chile, Mexico, and the United States.
By Melanie Sun
