Lauren Taylor: A NOTORIOUS VENEZUELAN GANG — HAS QUICKLY EXPANDED ITS CRIMINAL OPERATIONS INTO THE UNITED STATES — RAISING ALARMS AMONG U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. ORIGINALLY KNOWN FOR ITS BRUTAL TACTICS IN LATIN AMERICA — THE TREN DE ARAGUA GANG IS NOW IMPLICATED IN ROUGHLY 100 CRIMINAL CASES ACROSS THE U.S.
US HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICIALS REPORT THE GANG HAS RAPIDLY EXPANDED ITS PRESENCE FROM INITIAL SIGHTINGS IN TEXAS TO OTHER REGIONS ACROSS THE US. ONCE THOUGHT TO BE LIMITED TO LATIN AMERICA — WHERE IT WAS KNOWN FOR BRUTAL TACTICS AND EXTENSIVE CRIMINAL NETWORKS — TREN DE ARAGUA HAS EVOLVED INTO A SIGNIFICANT TRANSNATIONAL THREAT — A GROWING CONCERN FOR US LAW ENFORCEMENT.
ORIGINATING IN A VENEZUELAN PRISON — THE GANG ROSE TO POWER — OPERATING UNUSUAL LUXURIES LIKE A ZOO AND DISCO WITHIN THE PRISON WALLS. IN LESS THAN A DECADE — IT EVOLVED INTO A MAJOR TRANSNATIONAL CRIME ORGANIZATION WHERE IT ENGAGES IN ILLICIT ACTIVITIES LIKE DRUG TRAFFICKING — ROBBERY — AND EXTORTION — SPECIFICALLY PREYING ON VULNERABLE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES.
THE GROUP HAS MADE HEADLINES FOR HIGH-PROFILE CRIMES SUCH AS SHOOTINGS AND THE TARGETING OF POLICE OFFICERS — BRINGING ITS BRUTAL BRAND OF VIOLENCE MORE INTO PUBLIC AWARENESS IN THE U.S.
TREN DE ARAGUA’S PRESENCE IN THE U.S. HAS SPARKED FEARS THAT IT COULD REPLICATE THE DISRUPTION IT CAUSED IN LATIN AMERICA — POSING SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT WITH ITS SEEMINGLY SOPHISTICATED CRIMINAL TACTICS. MEMBERS OF THE GANG HAVE BEEN LINKED TO HIGH-PROFILE CRIMES SUCH AS THE SHOOTING OF TWO NYPD OFFICERS AND THE MURDER OF A FORMER VENEZUELAN POLICE OFFICER IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
IN RESPONSE TO THE ESCALATING THREAT — THE U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT IMPOSED SANCTIONS ON THE GANG IN JULY — WHILE THE STATE DEPARTMENT HAS OFFERED REWARDS TOTALING UP TO $12 MILLION FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE ARREST OF THE GANG’S LEADERS.
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