Tren de Aragua Venezuelan gang used NYC migrant shelter system to build criminal empire 'in plain sight'

The Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang from Venezuela used New York City illegal immigrant shelters to build a up a criminal empire in the Big Apple, according to a new report that tracks how the gang has been "hiding in plain sight." The gang has grown fast and large in New York and has overwhelmed the city's police force. They have used the city's shelters for migrants to enlist new members of the gang, with many illegal immigrants having their families threatened if they don't join up with TDA.

TDA has been terrorizing citizens in the city as gang members sell illegal guns, run prostitution rings, and committing various crimes, according to the New York Post. The gang has been peddling a lethal mix of fentanyl called Tussi or “pink cocaine." Gang members will often have distinctive tattoos that mark them as being members of the gang, such as crowns. 



“Not every migrant is here to commit crimes, not every migrant is a gang member,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said of the gang. “But these TDA guys hide very well in plain sight in the migrant community." Any immigrant who does not join up with the gang is labeled as "Culebra" or an enemy to TDA.

"We aren’t looking to grab the food delivery guy, but these guys go so far as to wear Uber Eats clothing, [use] the delivery bags while they’re out there committing their crimes,” the chief told the outlet. “When we do arrest them, they are very eager to talk about the crime they have committed." However, he added, “They are unwilling to talk about TDA itself.” Many reportedly fear to speak out of fear of retribution from TDA.

For most immigrants coming into the country, TDA is seen as a black mark in the city, making the reputation of foreign nationals coming to the US worse.

“I wouldn’t want the violence I grew up with to start here,” one Venezuelan immigrant told the Post on Sunday. “I wouldn’t be here if I saw what I saw in Venezuela. I brought my kids here so they wouldn’t have the experiences with criminals like how it is over there.”

TDA has used teams of illegal immigrant gang members on scooters to take out rivals or other gang members, often using a driver and a gunman on a two-wheeler while other members keep watch from cars nearby.

The name of the gang, which means "train from Aragua," which is a state in Venezuela, has committed widespread robbery and theft across the city and terrorized suburban neighborhoods. In the Queens neighborhood of Jackson Heights, a portion of Roosevelt Avenue has been nicknamed the "Market of Sweethearts" and displays TDA's influence in NYC. Vendors sell stolen items and prostitution is common. A brothel raided last week by the NYPD may also have ties to the gang.

TDA has also wreaked havoc in communities in Aurora, Colorado recently. Gang members of TDA took over an apartment complex which became a national topic of discussion as video of them heavily armed going through one complex went viral online.