ICE arrests Tren de Aragua gang member, Venezuelan fugitive wanted on weapons charges

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An illegal alien Tren de Aragua gang member who is also a Venezuelan fugitive is in ICE custody following his arrest Aug. 20 in Albuquerque. He has an active warrant for his arrest in Bogota, Colombia, where he was sentenced to seven years for trafficking and possessing illegal firearms.

Leonel Arquimedes Bustamante-Sanchez, 27, was arrested after a New Mexico State Police officer recognized his vehicle as one matching the description of a reportedly stolen vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agents and Enforcement and Removal Operations officers responded to the scene and identified Bustamante-Sanchez as a subject of a criminal investigation targeting Tren de Aragua gang members involved in a multitude of crimes, including murder and drug trafficking, in the Albuquerque area.

“Don’t be fooled. Members of this terrorist-designated criminal network are not just involved in low-level crime,” said HSI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens. “They are involved in organized violence that devastates their victims and community. HSI, as well as our dedicated law enforcement partners, are joined in our resolute efforts to identify them, arrest them and send them back to their home country — where they belong.”

This was not the first time immigration officials encountered Bustamante-Sanchez. On Aug. 22, 2023, Border Patrol agents arrested him in El Paso, Texas, after he entered the country illegally. He was served with a notice to appear before an immigration judge and released on his own recognizance.

This time, he will remain in ICE custody, charged with entering the country illegally and pending further criminal charges. This is an HSI-led investigation with the assistance from ERO Albuquerque, the FBI and the New Mexico State Police.