Miami, Jul 11 (AP) The Biden administration on Thursday sanctioned Venezuela's Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organisation and offered a USD 12 million reward for the arrest of the leaders.

Washington accuses the one-time prison gang of spreading across Latin America with a portfolio of criminal activity that includes kidnapping, extortion and human trafficking.

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The Tren de Aragua originated in Venezuela's infamously uncontrolled prisons but has expanded in recent years on the backs of millions of desperate Venezuelan migrants who have fled President Nicolas Maduro's rule and taken up residency in other parts of Latin America or the United States.

“Tren de Aragua poses a deadly criminal threat across the region,” the US Treasury Department said in a statement, adding that it often preys on vulnerable populations such as migrant women and girls for sex trafficking.

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“When victims seek to escape this exploitation, Tren de Aragua members often kill them and publicise their deaths as a threat to others,” the statement added. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)