Alleged Tren de Aragua Gang Members Indicted in Federal Court for Murder, Kidnapping in New Mexico

Federal authorities have indicted 11 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua on serious racketeering charges, including the kidnapping and murder of a man in Albuquerque earlier this year, according to court documents unsealed recently as part of a nationwide crackdown.

The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury in the District of New Mexico, accuses the defendants — mostly Venezuelan nationals illegally in the United States — of orchestrating the June 2024 abduction, brutal interrogation, and strangling of a victim identified only as John Doe 1. Prosecutors say the victim’s body was then transported in luggage and buried in a remote desert area.

Key figures named in the indictment include Henderson Yofre Mavo Finol, 39, and Adan Jose Ramirez Sanchez, 38, who allegedly ordered the kidnapping from afar. A Colombian national, Hagy Jose Barrios Rojano, 31, is accused of luring the victim to an Albuquerque apartment, where he was surrounded, tied up, and pistol-whipped by five other alleged gang members.

Prosecutors allege the group held a conference call with TdA leaders in the U.S. and abroad during the interrogation, questioning the victim’s loyalty and possible ties to rival gangs. After the killing, photos of the body were reportedly sent to superiors to confirm the murder.

The charges also tie one defendant, Ramirez Sanchez, to a separate armed shootout at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, in August 2024 that left one person dead.

The defendants face counts including racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, and murder in aid of racketeering. Convictions could carry life sentences.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico in coordination with the Department of Justice’s Joint Task Force Vulcan, originally formed to target MS-13 and now expanded to combat Tren de Aragua activities across the country, including in Colorado, Texas, and beyond.

The indictment is part of a broader federal effort announced earlier this month, resulting in charges against more than 70 alleged TdA members nationwide.

While the crimes occurred in Albuquerque, the case underscores growing concerns about transnational gangs operating in both northern and southern New Mexico and neighboring states, impacting border communities like Alamogordo and beyond.

Authorities continue to investigate TdA’s presence in the region. Anyone with information is urged to contact federal law enforcement.

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