Sanctions hit Venezuelan star over gang links

US accuses actor Jimena Araya of laundering funds for Tren de Aragua network

WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY:

Venezuelan actress Jimena Araya, known as 'Rosita', faces sanction imposed by the United States imposed for allegedly using her entertainment career to launder money and support the Tren de Aragua gang.

Araya popular for her roles in the comedy shows 'Cheverísimo' and '!A que te ríes!', is romantically linked to a Tren de Aragua kingpin and helped him escape a Venezuelan prison in 2012, the US Treasury said.

US authorities say Araya launders money for the organisation by performing as a DJ at nightclubs and diverting part of the revenue 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," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

He added that the United States will "use every tool to cut off these terrorists from the US and global financial system". The move came a day after President Donald Trump said any country trafficking illegal drugs into the United States could be attacked.

Araya lives in Mexico, although her Instagram posts — she has 3.5 million followers — frequently 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 had presented evidence to prosecutors for a criminal case to be opened.

Separately on Wednesday, the US State Department said it had raised its reward to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of 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 as the United States increases its military presence in the Caribbean.