In a significant crackdown on international crime, authorities in New York City have indicted ten individuals affiliated with the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. These indictments are the result of an extensive undercover operation targeting a sprawling gun trafficking network that aimed at not just spreading across the U.S., but internationally. This operation, led by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, NYC's police, and other enforcement agencies, marks a major victory against organized crime.
The undercover operation, which lasted over eight months, culminated in an unsealed 120-count indictment. The charges include firearm trafficking, drug offenses, and conspiracy. The operation successfully apprehended six of the individuals on Tuesday with two more arrested in Texas and Florida. The rest were nabbed in New York City, where an altercation during the arrest led to a police officer sustaining a severe arm injury.
Tren de Aragua is a gang with a notorious reputation in the Western Hemisphere, linked with an array of heinous crimes including kidnappings, extortion, and more. The gang originated amid the mass exodus of Venezuelans fleeing the country's economic crisis over a decade ago. Their notoriety in the U.S. spiked following widespread social media footage depicting their involvement in a violent robbery in Aurora, Colorado. Former President Donald Trump controversially referenced the gang during his campaign, exaggerating their influence in U.S. localities.
These recent indictments highlight the gang's extensive illegal activities beyond their home country, implicating them in crimes such as sex trafficking, drug smuggling, and even police assaults throughout various U.S. states. New York's operation against them highlights a considerable seizure of 34 firearms, including two particularly concerning ‘ghost guns’ — a type of firearm elusive to traditional tracing due to lack of serial numbers. One of these was an AR-style rifle, another modified to act as an automatic weapon.
The criminal enterprise, identified by authorities, employed communication via the encrypted app WhatsApp for planning and executing gun sales. These illegal transactions occurred frequently in open public spaces such as parking lots, with the weapons often concealed in inconspicuous items like garbage bags. Intelligence indicates that the head of operations, Enyerbert Blanco, and other associates procured these firearms across state lines, sometimes dealing in stolen weapons.
The gang's ambition extended to smuggling arms into Colombia, which was thwarted by the diligent undercover investigation. Law enforcement officials who posed as buyers also purchased significant quantities of the illicit synthetic drug tusi, a dangerous cocktail of cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine.
The case underscores the ongoing threat posed by transnational criminal groups like Tren de Aragua. As U.S. law enforcement continues to fight such globalized crime entities, the operation in New York City serves as a reminder of the complexity and urgency required to dismantle these sophisticated networks. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny emphasized that all charged suspects entered the U.S. illegally post-2023, reinforcing the gang's concerning reach into American urban centers such as NYC where criminal acts like cellphone thefts and store robberies have been recorded.
The announcement of these arrests coincided with statements from the newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, underlining the government's broader efforts to target criminal immigrants threatening community safety.