A suspected cybercriminal who allegedly bankrolled the notorious Tren de Aragua gang through a multimillion-dollar ATM fraud scheme was arrested and will remain behind bars to face a complex prosecution in Nebraska, just days after the Venezuelan was blacklisted by the Treasury Department.
In a news conference Saturday in Omaha that began with, “well we got him,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said Anibal Alexander Canelón Aguirre, an alleged computer whiz and hacker tied to the transnational gang, was captured on the high seas.
During his news conference, Kowel said the FBI in Omaha received assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group. Canelón Aguirre, he said, was subsequently transported by sea and air to the District of Nebraska.
The FBI’s web page for its most-wanted fugitives now shows a red bar across his photo reading “Captured.”
However, Kowel’s account contrasts with statements made just weeks earlier by FBI Director Kash Patel. During a Senate hearing, Patel announced the fugitive’s capture in Venezuela without explicitly naming him or providing further details.
“Our overseas apprehension of (Canelón) Aguirre demonstrates our relentless focus on bringing to justice those who target Americans,” Kowel said on his LinkedIn page. “We'll continue working with our partners to dismantle and disrupt the activities of Tren de Aragua in our communities.”
Through a court-appointed defense attorney in Omaha, Canelón Aguirre pleaded not guilty on Friday to the four-count indictment. He was denied bail while awaiting trial in what a federal judge deemed a complex prosecution—meaning the Venezuelan won’t have a speedy trial.
Magistrate Judge Michael Nelson said he ruled that Canelón Aguirre was a flight risk “based on the totality of the record before the court, given the defendant's lack of ties to this country or this community, his ties to a foreign community, the nature of the offense itself, and the fact that the defendant does not have legal status in the United States and therefore cannot lawfully work here … there's no conditions or release that will reasonably assure his appearance for future court proceedings.”
Canelón Aguirre is alleged in his December 2025 indictment to have been the mastermind of a scam to help fund Tren de Aragua, a notoriously violent Venezuelan organized crime group. It said he allegedly led a multi-million dollar ATM fraud scheme.
In a news release Friday, the Justice Department said its investigation “focused on a widespread ATM Jackpotting conspiracy that has been tied to the designated foreign terrorist organization TdA. To date, 120 defendants have been charged in the District of Nebraska for their role in this conspiracy.”
Canelón Aguirre, 50, faces charges of bank fraud, bank fraud using a computer, conspiracy to commit laundering and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terror organization. He faces up to 30 years in prison.
The judge ordered prosecutors and the court-appointed counsel to file motions by October 23 and set an October 30 date for Canelón Aguirre’s next court appearance.
Canelón Aguirre’s arrival in the Nebraska courtroom followed by two days his elevation by the Treasury Department to the list of specially designated nationals, making him a pariah in the global financial system. The listing cited his ties to Tren de Aragua.
Days after his court appearance, however, the exact circumstances of how Canelón Aguirre was brought to the United States remained unclear, complicated by conflicting official statements.
While Kowel stated the fugitive was captured on the high seas, FBI Director Kash Patel announced during a Senate hearing just weeks earlier that he had been captured in Venezuela, without naming him or providing further details.
Article 69 of Venezuela’s constitution prohibits the extradition of its citizens. When asked by OCCRP, the FBI, State Department and Venezuelan government all declined to discuss details of the case.
One possibility is that Canelón Aguirre was expelled from Venezuela when apprehended in international waters. That was the method used last March when alleged South American drug kingpin Sebastian Marset was arrested by Bolivian forces and rather than being extradited, a diplomatic procedure, was expelled to Peru, from where he was quickly brought to the United States to stand trial in Virginia.
The FBI provided few operational details, offering no information on how the operation was carried out and whether Venezuelan authorities assisted in the capture of Canelón Aguirre.
OCCRP was among the first to warn of the nascent criminal organization spreading into the U.S. in its November 2023 series Narcofiles: The New Criminal Order.
