The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) arrested on Sunday dozens of undocumented migrants tied to Venezuelan-born gang Tren de Aragua following the raid of what authorities described as a "makeshift nightclub" in Adams County, Colorado. Several of them were taken into custody.
The DEA said said it seized drugs, weapons and cash in the raid in what was a development in an investigation that began during the Biden administration. Drugs included cocaine, crack cocaine and pink cocaine.
"DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division has been investigating TdA drug trafficking since last summer, and today's successful operation shows that the men and women of DEA will not rest until our communities are safe from this gang and the drugs they peddle," said DEA agent Jonathan Pullen.
#DEA and federal/local partners conducted an early morning operation at a makeshift nightclub in Adams County. Drugs/weapons/cash seized. Approx. 50 illegal aliens were taken into custody by @ERODenver - many are connected with the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang from Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/hXck5bBU2G
— DEARockyMountain (@DEAROCKYMTNDiv) January 26, 2025
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it detained 49 people, many of whom are connected with Tren de Aragua. "For the last several months, DEA has been running an ongoing investigation against the Venezuelan gang called TdA," Pullen added, saying the party was "invitation-only" to Tren de Aragua members and associates.
The gang has been declared a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration, which has also vowed to remove its members from the country.
Trump had anticipated his willingness to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations during his inaugural speech. "Under the orders I'll signed today, we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations," he said, adding that, under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, he will crack down on foreign criminal gangs.
The designation as foreign terrorist organization would enable the U.S. government to impose financial sanctions, block bank accounts, deport members, bar their entry into the country, and even conduct security or military operations against these groups.
The Trump administration is reportedly negotiating a deal with its Salvadorean counterpart for the latter to receive deportees from third countries, CBS News reported, including potential Tren de Aragua members.
It is unclear how the Bukele administration would handle the alleged criminals, but the country has heavily cracked down on the domestic-born MS-13, incarcerating tens of thousands of people in mega-prisons throughout the country.
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