The United States Department of the Treasury announced on December 3 the designation of the Venezuelan actress, model and DJ Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, known as “Rosita”accused of being part of a network of people affiliated with the entertainment industry who would have provided “material support” to the Aragua Trainthe criminal organization of Venezuelan origin included by Washington on its list of foreign terrorist groups.
The measures, which include five other people and entities, were published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). According to the official statement, Araya would be romantically linked to Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias “Niño Guerrero”designated by the United States as the leader of the organization.
The publication claims that, supposedly, Araya would have collaborated in his escape from the Tocorón prison in 2012an accusation that has not been judicially proven in Venezuela or in any other country. In fact, the actress was detained as part of investigations, but released shortly after by the Venezuelan authorities.
What is Jimena Araya accused of?
With the measures of the Treasury Department, all of Araya’s assets and properties in the United States are blocked, and United States citizens or companies are prohibited from carrying out transactions with her.
Araya, 42 years old, has 3.5 million followers on social networks and has a career as a DJ in clubs in Colombia. According to Treasury investigations, A part of the income generated in these presentations would have been channeled towards the direction of the Aragua Train, especially towards Niño Guerrero.
One of the venues where he performed was Maiquetía VIP Bar Restaurant, a nightclub in the south of Bogotá belonging to Eryk Manuel Landaeta Hernández, who was arrested in 2024 and also sanctioned by the United States. US authorities point to him as a financial and logistical operator of the Aragua Train, responsible for organizing parties used for the sale of drugs and money laundering.
OFAC also designated the company Global Import Solutions SA, where Araya appears as a shareholder and presidentfor serving—according to the United States—as a financial instrument for activities related to the criminal group.
The Treasury Department accompanied the announcement with photographs of Araya, Landaeta and the facade of the linked establishments, reinforcing the narrative that the criminal organization used musical events, presentations and parties as a front for the sale of drugs and the movement of large sums of money.
So far, Araya has not issued a public statement on the sanctions.
Alias Rosita, actress, model and DJ
Jimena Romina Araya Navarro was born on September 5, 1983 in Maracay, so she is currently 42 years old. In Venezuela, she began in the artistic world as a model for soap operas on RCTV. Subsequently, he migrated to the city of Miami to study English, where he had the opportunity to debut on American television and participate in the soap opera The Body of Desire starring Mario Cimarro.
Later she returned to Venezuela, where she participated in the soap opera Los Misterios del Amor, playing a doctor character. She became recognized for her performance as “Rosita” in the comedy programs Cheverísimo and ¡A que te ris!, broadcast on the Venevisión channel.
The woman has 3.5 million followers on instagramas well as 260,000 followers on TikTok. She lived in Mexico City and on May 23, 2023, she revealed that she was expecting her first child, whom she occasionally shows off on her social networks.
In recent years, “Rosita” has explored her career as a DJ in various nightclubs. Currently, according to his publications on social networks, he would be living in Venezuela.
Who is Niño Guerrero, the criminal to whom “Rosita” is linked?
Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, better known as Niño Guerrero, was born in 1983 in Maracay and He is considered the main person responsible for the expansion of the Aragua Train from a prison group dedicated to extortion to a transnational structure with presence in several Latin American countries.
The US accusations attribute control over: criminal activities inside and outside the old Tocorón prison, drug trafficking corridors in the Caribbean, mining areas of the Bolívar state, and clandestine border crossings between Venezuela and Colombia.
Washington offers a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture.
The leader of the criminal group is married to Wendy Marbelys Ríos Gómez, also accused by US authorities for alleged money laundering activities and illicit financing.
Keep reading:
– Colombian authorities and the DEA capture one of the most wanted leaders of the Aragua Train.
– Leader of the Aragua Train dies after falling from a balcony in Colombia while escaping from the Police.