WASHINGTON

The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Wednesday targeting key affiliates of the Venezuela-based gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) for money laundering.

According to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the sanctions include the designation of Venezuelan entertainer Jimena Romina Araya Navarro — widely known as "Rosita," who the department said is part of a network of five persons affiliated with the entertainment industry that have provided material support to TdA.

“Under President Trump, barbaric terrorist cartels can no longer operate with impunity across our borders. 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 in a statement.

The US will continue to use "every tool to cut off these terrorists" from the US and global financial system and keep American citizens safe, he added.