Recently, the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua has extended its reach to a remote region in the United States. This expansion occurred when Henry Theis, a suspected member, was apprehended for a serious theft offense in West Fargo, North Dakota last month.
The arrest of Theis, 25, was carried out by local authorities in early November, as documented in the Cass County Jail roster.
This notorious gang first gained nationwide attention in 2023 when they were linked to an incident where they held an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, under siege. Since then, the gang’s influence has broadened, now encompassing over a dozen states across the U.S.
These images from a Cusoms and Border Protection intelligence bulletin show tattoos and identifiers for Tren De Aragua. (ICE)
Violent crimes by Tren de Aragua members have spread across the nation and have been linked to the high-profile murders of nursing student Laken Riley in Georgia and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston.
In addition to North Dakota, the gang has a presence in Colorado, Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin, and most recently in Virginia, Montana and Wyoming, according to a New York Post report that cites a Homeland Security memo.
