A group of ten individuals believed to be part of the ruthless Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) have been charged with participating in a large-scale operation involved in the trafficking of weapons and drugs across six different states. Prosecutors revealed that there were intentions to expand these criminal activities internationally, with a specific focus on Colombia.
During an incident in New York City, it was reported that one of the alleged members of this violent gang, who is also an immigrant, injured a police officer from the NYPD by breaking their arm while resisting arrest.
Law enforcement officials managed to confiscate a total of 34 illegal firearms, which included dangerous weapons like AR-15 assault rifles and a Glock 9mm handgun that had been modified to function as an automatic weapon. These weapons were directly linked to the suspects, as stated by Melinda Katz, the District Attorney of Queens.
The bust in Queens came a day after immigration raids in the Bronx which saw gang member Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, picked up by Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.
Zambrano-Pacheco is wanted by police in Aurora, Colorado, for first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm from an Aug. 18, caught-on-camera incident where police say he and five other armed men are accused of breaking into an apartment at gunpoint.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tells Fox News that Zambrano-Pacheco is also wanted in part of a gun weapons exchange and was trying to buy grenades. Police say he’s also been charged with kidnapping, extortion, and menacing.
