Unknown to many, a menacing Venezuelan gang has been infiltrating the United States, wreaking havoc and causing chaos.
Authorities claim that recent seemingly unrelated crimes have a common thread: the notorious Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal organization originally based in a Venezuelan prison. Now believed to be operating in the US, the extent of their activities is unclear, but officials have expressed concerns and some Republicans in Congress request the Biden administration to officially designate the Tren de Aragua as a Transnational Criminal Organization.
For several years, this organized group has instilled fear in South American nations, including its birthplace, Venezuela. Former Colombian Vice President Óscar Naranjo described the group to CNN as "the most disruptive criminal organization currently operating in Latin America, posing a significant threat to the region."
Be Aware: Tren de Aragua
This group took on its name between 2013 and 2015; however, they had been in operation well before then, according to Transparency Venezuela's report. Their roots trace back to the unions of workers in railway construction projects in Aragua and Carabobo states. Their leadership ran the infamous Tocorón prison, which was seized by authorities in 2023. Inside the prison, law enforcement found a swimming pool, restaurants, weapons like automatic rifles and machine guns, as well as thousands of rounds of ammunition.
By 2015, the ex-Venezuelan law enforcement official informed CNN that "They were already at the peak of their power." They actively established an alliance with Primeiro Comando da Capital, a Brazilian criminal organization around that time. With this move, it was only a matter of time before the gang would infiltrate other Latin American countries.
In Colombia, the Tren de Aragua, along with the National Liberation Army, operates a sex trafficking network in the Norte de Santander department's border town of Villa del Rosario. The organization exploits Venezuelan migrants and internally displaced Colombians, taking advantage of their financial struggles, and subjecting them to debt bondage. Authorities in the region assert that Tren de Aragua has perpetrated crimes such as extortion, drug and human trafficking, kidnapping, and assault.
The US Customs and Border Protection and the FBI have now confirmed the gang's presence in the US. FBI Special Agent Britton Boyd, stationed in El Paso, Texas, shared with CNN that "They've followed the migration paths across South America to other countries and have set up criminal groups throughout South America as they followed those paths, and that they appear to follow the migration north to the United States."
US Border Patrol chief Jason Owens has sounded the alarm, announcing on X, "Watch out for this gang. It is the most powerful in Venezuela, known for murder, drug trafficking, sex crimes, extortion, & other violent acts."
Over 70 cases mentioning Tren de Aragua have been reported in law enforcement records, complaints, or prosecutor's documents since 2023. The Customs and Border Patrol in Texas has identified 58 individuals as gang members during the period between 2023 and last May. The rest appear in documents implicating them in the organized crime group.
In New York, police believe that the perpetrator of the shooting of two police officers last week, Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, a 19-year-old Venezuelan, is linked to Tren de Aragua, as he has tattoos associated with the organization. Although Castro-Mata had no previous arrest history and is suspected of various robberies in Queens, he is now in custody. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His legal team refused to comment upon being approached by CNN.
Notably, this gang has also been linked to the kidnapping and murder of an ex-Venezuelan police officer in South Florida in late 2023. However, one case stands out: in late April, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Department received a distress call from a Spanish speaker saying she was being held captive at a residence, being forced to have intercourse with unknown males for money. She later told investigators that she was forced to have sex with strangers to repay a $30,000 USD debt to a trafficker for bringing her to the US.
Authorities captured two persons, both citizens of Venezuela, at the spot. They are Albert Herrera Machado, aged 23, and Osleidy Vanesa Chourio-Diaz, aged 26. Subsequent to their arrest, authorities apprehended another Venezuelan national, Josmar Jesus Zambrano-Chirinos, who was 23. According to the accusation reviewed by CNN, Zambrano was running several safehouses in the US used for human trafficking in locations like Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, New Jersey, and Florida for the Tren de Aragua. Herrera Machado and Chourio-Diaz were not mentioned in the case in connection with Tren de Aragua.
If the accusations against the suspects are accurate, this would indicate that Tren de Aragua is capable of running such operations within the United States, just like they have done in many South American nations. However, the difficulty lies in finding out how many members of Tren de Aragua are already present in the country despite the arrests. Venezuelan emigrants in Florida and other states have reported that similar criminal activities are surfacing in their communities, which they had run far away from in Venezuela.
Álvaro Boza, a previous Venezuelan police officer now residing in Florida, explains that he left his nation mostly due to the immense power of the Tren de Aragua. He says they could kill law enforcement officers like him without any consequences. A fellow police officer who wouldn't cooperate with the gang in his home state of Aragua was shot a total of 50 times, Boza recalls. “He refused, and was assassinated. They tied his body to a motorcycle and dragged it throughout the San Vicente neighborhood to display the power of the Tren de Aragua,” Boza said.
In March, a group of Congressional Republicans, led by Florida Senator Marco Rubio and House Representative Ana María Salazar, wrote a letter to President Biden demanding he takes action and designates the gang as a "transnational criminal organization."
In their letter, the lawmakers stated: "If left unchecked, they will unleash an unprecedented reign of terror, mirroring the devastation it has already inflicted on communities throughout Central and South America, especially in Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru."
CNN’s Jaide Timm-Garcia supported this report.
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The FBI in El Paso, Texas, has acknowledged the presence of Tren de Aragua in the US, stating that they've followed migration paths and set up criminal groups as they moved north.US Border Patrol chief Jason Owens has warned the public, stating, "Watch out for this gang. It is the most powerful in Venezuela, known for murder, drug trafficking, sex crimes, extortion, & other violent acts."
