US sanctions Venezuelan actor citing alleged gang tiesStaff WritersReutersThu, 4 December 2025 5:13AM
The United States has imposed sanctions on a Venezuelan actor for allegedly using her entertainment career to launder money and support the Tren de Aragua gang.
Jimena Araya, also known as “Rosita” for the name of her character in comedy shows “Cheverísimo” and “¡A que te ríes!,” is romantically linked to a Tren de Aragua kingpin and helped him escape Venezuelan prison in 2012, the US Treasury said.
According to US authorities, Araya launders money for the organisation by performing as a DJ at nightclubs and diverting a portion of the revenues to the gang’s leadership.
The Treasury named one of the nightclubs as Maiquetia VIP Bar Restaurant in the Colombian capital Bogota. The venue’s owner, her former bodyguard and manager Eryk Landaeta, was also sanctioned.
“The Tren de Aragua network’s narcotrafficking and human smuggling operations have long posed a grave threat to our nation,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, adding that the US will “use every tool to cut off these terrorists from the US and global financial system.”
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Araya lives in Mexico, though her posts on Instagram, where she boasts 3.5 million followers, often show her travelling in Venezuela, Europe and the Caribbean.
She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, Mexican authorities said they had sanctioned a “Venezuelan public figure linked to the entertainment sphere,” without naming Araya, and presented evidence to prosecutors for a criminal case to be opened.
Separately on Wednesday, the US State Department said it was raising its reward to $US5 million for information leading to the arrest of a Tren de Aragua leader, Giovanni Mosquera.
Tren de Aragua, a gang with prison origins, has become a key reference in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and as the US ramps up military presence in the Caribbean.
On Tuesday, Trump said any country trafficking illegal drugs into the US could be attacked, including Venezuela or Colombia.
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