The crackdown on the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) has extended to Tennessee, where eight members have been indicted on federal charges. The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to transport women from South America into the United States for forced prostitution, as part of an unlawful enterprise in the Middle District of Tennessee.
TBI Director David B. Rausch emphasized the commitment to dismantling criminal organizations like TdA in Tennessee, stating that law enforcement will use all available tools to hold these violent criminals accountable and ensure the safety of communities in the state.
Three of the defendants were also charged with sex trafficking through coercion, while one faces charges for unlawful possession of guns. All charged defendants are currently in federal custody.
The defendants reportedly lured women with false promises of a better life in the U.S., then coerced them into engaging in commercial sex acts for profit. Victims were allegedly threatened and intimidated into continuing these acts, with claims of insurmountable debts as leverage.
Law enforcement agencies are working collaboratively to investigate and prosecute these criminal activities in Tennessee. In a related operation, FBI agents in Houston, along with HSI officials, arrested three suspects believed to be associated with TdA in a sex trafficking ring.
Additionally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended a TdA gang member, Ricardo Padillia-Granadillo, suspected of ties to a mass shooting in Chicago. Granadillo, an illegally present Venezuelan national, was arrested in Raleigh after failing to appear for an immigration appointment.
ICE officers, along with other law enforcement agencies, arrested Granadillo at a residence in Raleigh, where they also found a handgun, ammunition, and 10 other Venezuelan aliens. The White House press secretary noted that over 8,000 immigrants have been arrested since January as part of efforts to detain and deport those in the country illegally.
Former President Trump announced that the Venezuelan government has agreed to repatriate all Venezuelan illegal aliens, including TdA gang members, back to Venezuela at their expense.
