FBI agent, others warn of Venezuelan gang entering into US
by: Oriana Bottaro
Posted: Feb 5, 2024 / 09:51 PM MST
Updated: Feb 6, 2024 / 12:13 PM MST
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The largest growing criminal organization in the world has infiltrated its way into the United States, said an El Paso FBI agent.
The Tren de Aragua, or the “Aragua Train,” gained notoriety after its founding in 2012 by Hector Guerrero, alias “Niño Guerrero” or Warrior Kid, in the state of Aragua located in the north-central region of Venezuela.
Operating initially from Tocorón prison in Venezuela, the gang made headlines after 11,000 police officers raided the prison back in September, uncovering a zoo, nightclub, swimming pools, and a children’s playground.
What they did not find was any sign of Guerrero, the head of the gang.
The Venezuelan police presume he fled the prison via concrete tunnels and is now leading the gang from somewhere else. Guerrero is not the only one who fled the prison. Hundreds of other criminals also fled, making it the biggest escape of prisoners ever in the country, according to a report in InsightCrime.org, a think tank and media organization dedicated to reporting and analyzing organized crime in the Americas.
“A lot of these criminals have taken advantage of Venezuela’s most vulnerable people who have fled the country” in the wake of an economic and social issues, said former Border Patrol Agent Ammon Blair.
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https://www.ktsm.com/news/fbi-agent-others-warn-of-venezuelan-gang-entering-into-us/