The U.S. Justice Department highlighted a nationwide crackdown on the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in a press release shared by the FBI on X between 10:45 p.m. UTC on December 18, 2025, and 12:15 a.m. UTC on December 19, 2025. The FBI press release, accessible via fbi.gov, details the Justice Department's efforts targeting the gang's activities across the United States, as posted on the agency's official X account (@FBI, status 2001789720003514543) during this 1-hour-29-minute period. This announcement occurs amid ongoing U.S. military activities off Venezuela's coast, as previously reported, including the Ford Carrier Strike Group's deployment of electronic warfare and command aircraft, confirmed by Flightradar24 data and X posts from @FaytuksNetwork earlier on December 18. Tren de Aragua, originating from Venezuela, has been the subject of increased U.S. law enforcement focus, separate from earlier Senate Armed Services Committee review of September 2 strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels, where Chairman Roger Wicker stated no evidence of war crimes was found, per Bloomberg and X reports from December 18.
