Ten individuals associated with the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua have been charged in a sweeping indictment for their involvement in a firearms trafficking operation in New York City that has connections across the nation and aspirations for international expansion, officials reported on Wednesday.
The charges were disclosed by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz following an undercover investigation that lasted over eight months, which included collaboration from the district attorney’s office, the New York City police, and multiple law enforcement agencies. On Tuesday, six individuals named in a 120-count indictment were apprehended on various charges, including firearms-related, drug-related, and conspiracy offenses.
Tren de Aragua has been implicated in multiple criminal activities, including kidnappings and extortion, linked to the mass migration crises stemming from Venezuela, where the gang was formed over a decade ago. The awareness of Tren de Aragua’s activities in the United States heightened after security footage went viral, showing heavily armed members breaking into an apartment in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. Former President Donald Trump commented during his campaign about his intention to “liberate Aurora” from Venezuelans, whom he inaccurately claimed were “taking over the whole town.”
This notorious gang has been associated with numerous serious crimes, such as sex trafficking, drug trafficking, and shootings involving law enforcement, alongside the exploitation of vulnerable migrant populations.
Among those apprehended due to the Queens indictment, two were captured in Texas and Florida, whereas four individuals were arrested in New York. One incident during this operation saw a police officer sustaining severe injuries to his arm when a suspect attempted to flee by forcefully hitting him with a door, according to authorities.
As of Wednesday afternoon, two of the arrested suspects had already been arraigned. Katz mentioned that charges related to the assault against the officer are still under investigation and commended the undercover team for confiscating firearms and illegal substances.
“As a result of our extensive investigation, we have removed 34 dangerous weapons from the streets, and we are actively working to dismantle this gang before it gains a foothold in our community,” Katz stated. She mentioned that among the confiscated firearms were two ghost guns, which lack serial numbers and are therefore harder to trace—one being an AR-style rifle and the other a modified firearm capable of fully automatic fire.
The indictment outlines how members of the gang utilized the chat application WhatsApp to coordinate the sale of firearms, often occurring during the day in parking lots or by concealing weapons in trash bags. Authorities claim that three of the indicted individuals, including the alleged leader Enyerbert Blanco, procured weapons from various states, some obtained through theft. Another suspect contributed firearms from his personal collection, while many others served as couriers to facilitate the gun deliveries.
The indictment also reveals that the criminal group attempted to export weapons internationally to Colombia in hopes of boosting their profits, although those efforts were interrupted by the undercover operation. Undercover officers managed to purchase several of the trafficked weapons during the investigation, which also led to the procurement of 48 grams of a club drug known as pink cocaine, a mixture of cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine, from the defendants.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny noted on Wednesday that all the indicted members of Tren de Aragua had unlawfully entered the United States around 2023. He indicated that police had been tracking the gang’s criminal activities within the city, including thefts of cell phones using motorized scooters and organized retail theft operations. The gang unit reported identifying at least 67 members of the group operating in the city.
The arrests made on Tuesday coincided with an announcement by the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who, alongside federal agents, revealed the capture of several immigrants wanted for criminal offenses. This operation also led to the arrest of Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, in the Bronx, who authorities stated was associated with the group of armed individuals shown in the alarming video recorded in Aurora, Colorado.
