The Venezuelan jail gang Tren de Aragua has now unfold to one of the vital distant states in America, after an alleged member was arrested for felony theft final month.
Native authorities in West Fargo, North Dakota, arrested suspected gang member Henry Theis, 25, in early November, in response to the Cass County Jail roster.
The violent gang, which made nationwide headlines in 2023 after reviews of members of the group holding an condominium constructing hostage in Aurora, Colorado, has now expanded its territory to greater than a dozen U.S. states.
VENEZUELAN NATIONAL AND TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBER ARRESTED IN TRUMP’S BACKYARD
“Tren de Aragua now has a presence in 17 states.” Congressman Troy E. Nehls, R-Texas, posted on X. “I look forward to working with President Trump to secure our border and restore safety in our communities.”
West Fargo has a inhabitants of lower than 40,000, and North Dakota itself is without doubt one of the least-populated states within the nation, in response to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The origins of Tren de Aragua, which suggests “Train from Aragua,” have been traced to a Venezuelan jail greater than a decade in the past.
Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang took over an condominium constructing in Aurora, Colorado, charging hire in trade for “protection.” (Edward Romero, left, and Aurora Police Division)
Police initially pulled over Theis for driving with out his headlights on, however they quickly found greater than $24,000 in money he allegedly stole from a close-by financial institution, a facemask, a latex glove, cables and a pc keyboard throughout a search of his automotive, in response to KXLG.
Theis admitted to being a part of a company of hackers who had been “jackpotting” ATMs, utilizing a virus to steal cash, court docket paperwork revealed, in response to the outlet.
West Fargo Financial institution in North Dakota in 2001. (Andre Jenny/Alamy Inventory Photograph)
Two different suspects had been arrested, bringing the full theft quantity to nearly $100,000. Theis supplied names of the opposite people concerned, together with Jefferson Rodriguez-Quintero and Ryber Sanchez, who had been additionally arrested, the native outlet reported.
One other Venezuelan nationwide, suspected of being a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, was just lately arrested close to President-elect Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Seashore, Florida.
“U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a Venezuelan national who was identified as a Tren de Aragua gang member,” Jeffrey Dinise, the chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Miami Sector, wrote on X on Tuesday.
HERITAGE REPORT OFFERS ROADMAP TO DEFEAT TREN DE ARAGUA, THE MEGA-GANG TAKING OVER US CITIES
These photographs from a Cusoms and Border Safety intelligence bulletin present tattoos and identifiers for Tren De Aragua. (ICE)
Violent crimes by Tren de Aragua members have unfold throughout the nation and have been linked to the high-profile murders of nursing scholar Laken Riley in Georgia and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston.
Along with 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 just lately in Virginia, Montana and Wyoming, in response to a New York Put up report that cites a Homeland Safety memo.
