Two suspected Tren de Aragua gang members arrested in upstate New York in connection to Connecticut homicide

Two Venezuelan illegal immigrants believed to be part of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang were arrested in the upstate New York town of Rensselaer and were charged in connection to a homicide in a Stamford, Connecticut. They were found with two children who were taken to child protection services.

According to a press release from the Rensselaer Chief of Police, "On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at approximately 3:13pm, The Rensselaer Police Department received information from the Stamford (CT) Police Department that two individuals used a stolen credit card at the Amtrak Station located at 525 East Street, Rensselaer, NY 12144. The credit card was alleged to have been stolen from a homicide victim in Stamford, [Connecticut]."

The two suspects were identified as 24-year-old Gregory Marlyn Galindez-Trias and 22-year-old Moises Alejandro Condollo-Urbaneja and had been walking with two children by the train station. They were taken into custody by police and then identified as those wanted by the Stamford Police Department in connection with the killing. The victim in the alleged murder, Angel Samaniego, 59, was found dead from a "gunshot wound to the chest," the Stamford Advocate reported.

Fox News' Bill Melugin reported that he was "told by law enforcement sources that the female was caught & released at the border in Fort Brown, TX on 5/26/22, the male entered the US as a gotaway at an unknown time & location, and the victim was an Ecuadorian national who was legally in the U.S. with a green card."

Early Thursday afternoon, the pair went to the Rensselaer City Court to appear before Judge Linda Blom Johnson and were given fugitive from justice charges. They will be returned to Stamford, Connecticut once police arrive to take them to the neighboring state. The cities are about two and a half hours apart.

Stamford police said that the pair were arrested in Rensselaer as "part of the ongoing investigation" into Samaniego's death. "Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was contacted, responded to RPD, and issued Immigration Detainers for both subjects," the press release from the Rensselaer police chief stated.

During the hearing, Galindez-Trias expressed that she was afraid of what the Tren de Aragua gang may do if she is arrested. The two children were brought to Rensselaer County Child Protective Services.