{"id":2384033,"date":"2024-12-27T14:03:52","date_gmt":"2024-12-27T19:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/venezuelan-prison-gang-crime-increasing-in-florida-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-27T14:05:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T19:05:42","slug":"venezuelan-prison-gang-crime-increasing-in-florida-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/venezuelan-prison-gang-crime-increasing-in-florida-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelan prison gang crime increasing in Florida &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvenezuelan-prison-gang-crime-increasing-in-florida-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2384033&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A meaningful rise in criminal activity associated\u2062 with the Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), has been noted\u200d in Florida, as reported by various sources.This surge in violence follows a record\u200b influx of illegal Venezuelan migrants\u2063 into the U.S., facilitated by\u200b the Biden governance amidst the ongoing border crisis. The gang is notorious for its brutal operations, including murder, kidnapping, extortion,\u2063 and human\u2063 and\u200c drug trafficking, \u2062and is\u200d linked to over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tennessee-bureau-of-investigations-venezuelan-gang-in-every-major-city-in-state-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Tennessee Bureau of Investigations: Venezuelan gang in every major city in state - Washington Examiner\">100 law enforcement investigations nationwide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Notable incidents include the murder of a retired Venezuelan police officer in Miami, who was lured to a hotel and ambushed \u200dby gang members. In \u2062January, \u200bone TdA member\u200b was\u2064 charged with first-degree murder and other serious offenses, while another member, arrested in March, was \u2063charged with aggravated battery but was quickly \u2062released on bond.The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gas-prices-slight-decrease-at-the-pumps-for-thanksgiving-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Gas prices: Slight decrease at the pumps for Thanksgiving - Washington Examiner\">article highlights ongoing concerns<\/a> regarding the\u200b dangers posed by TdA members, some of whom are in \u200dthe \u2062country illegally and have been \u200dinvolved in various criminal activities across South Florida.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Venezuelan prison gang crime increasing in Florida<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1921802\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; A violent Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), has expanded its criminal operations into Florida, according to multiple reports.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>As the border crisis escalated, a&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/national\/article_0517d1f8-947f-11ef-988c-234250ad3908.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">record number<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;of illegal border crossers from Venezuela were released into the U.S. by the Biden administration and TdA violence expanded nationwide, including in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Tren de Aragua gang members are known for violence, murder, kidnapping, extortion, bribery and human and drug trafficking and are linked to more than 100 law enforcement investigations nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>Last November, a retired Venezuelan police officer living in Doral, Florida, was targeted and allegedly murdered after he was lured to a hotel near the Miami International Airport. He was allegedly ambushed in the parking lot, kidnapped, robbed and murdered; his apartment was also burglarized, according to police reports. One alleged murderer and TdA member is believed to be connected to criminal investigations involving other hotels, Local 10 News&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.local10.com\/news\/local\/2024\/01\/17\/venezuelan-street-gang-members-use-women-to-lure-murder-victim-to-miami-dade-hotel-records-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In January, one of the culprits, a 23-year-old male TdA member, was charged with first-degree murder, armed home invasion, carjacking and kidnapping. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer request with a Miami-Dade corrections facility where he was being held without bond.<\/p>\n<p>In March, a 19-year-old male TdA member in the country illegally was arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, ABC 12 News&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcmiami.com\/news\/local\/tren-de-aragua-gang-member-arrested-at-dolphin-mall-police\/3480418\/?_osource=sm_npd_nbc_mia_twt_mn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a><\/strong>. He was booked into Palm Beach County Jail where he was released less than 14 hours later on a $7,500 bond. This month, Border Patrol agents arrested him, Border Patrol&rsquo;s Miami Sector chief&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcmiami.com\/news\/local\/tren-de-aragua-gang-member-arrested-at-dolphin-mall-police\/3480418\/?_osource=sm_npd_nbc_mia_twt_mn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In November, a 20-year-old male and confirmed TdA member who was illegally in the country was arrested at the Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater. He was charged with grand theft, battery on an officer and resisting an officer. ICE placed a detainer request on him after previously releasing him into the country with an ankle monitor. The TdA member was last known to have had the ankle monitor on in Chicago, where it was taken off, police said, NBC 6 News South Florida&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcmiami.com\/news\/local\/tren-de-aragua-gang-member-arrested-at-dolphin-mall-police\/3480418\/?_osource=sm_npd_nbc_mia_twt_mn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a><\/strong>. From Chicago, he made his way to the Miami suburb where he was reported to a police officer for threatening to beat up a man at the mall.<\/p>\n<p>Expressing alarm about increased TdA crime, state Rep. Berny Jacques, R-Clearwater, asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement what steps the state was taking to address increasing TdA threats and what state lawmakers can do to support their efforts.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As threats from transnational gangs like Tren de Aragua continue to grow, I am increasingly concerned about the implications of the Biden-Harris administration&rsquo;s open-border policies,&rdquo; Jacques wrote to Mark Glass, the commissioner of the FDLE. &ldquo;From the start, this administration has dismantled border security and interior enforcement, signaling to criminal cartels and gangs that they can exploit our nation with impunity. We are now seeing the devastating results as violent groups destabilize communities in border and non border states alike, and it is essential that Florida proactively address this threat.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a letter this month, Glass outlined state law enforcement efforts including partnerships with federal and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-dept-launches-regional-gun-trafficking-strike-forces\/\" title=\"Justice Dept Launches Regional Gun Trafficking Strike Forces\">local law enforcement partners<\/a> to address TdA crime.<\/p>\n<p>The FDLE&rsquo;s Office of Statewide Intelligence has been partnering with investigators at the Department of Homeland Security&rsquo;s Homeland Security Investigations and others at regional fusion centers, monitoring alleged TdA activity since early this year.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our inspectors and analysts conduct extensive research on suspected encounters, origins of the gang, suspected allied cartels and affiliates, indicators of membership, and the culture of the gang, which included the non<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">-criminal activities gang members commit<\/a>,&rdquo; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>OSI has provided an in-depth briefing to FDLE leadership and developed multiple intelligence bulletins to state and local law enforcement partners about TdA. Each FDLE regional operation&rsquo;s center also has assigned investigators pursuing TdA-connected criminal activity.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Organized crime will continue to be a central focus area of our investigative strategy. As we collaborate with our criminal justice partners to identify and dismantle these gangs, FDLE will keep state leaders informed of any policy measures that would enhance law enforcement&rsquo;s ability to counter the threats presented by transactional games like TdA,&rdquo; Glass said.<\/p>\n<p>In Texas, which has borne the brunt of illegal border crosser crimes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/public-radio-reporter-arrested-for-firebombing-police-cars\/\" title=\"Public Radio \u201cReporter\u201d Arrested For Firebombing Police Cars\">law enforcement officials<\/a> have arrested more than 3,000 Venezuelan illegal border crossers; more than 200 are wanted, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said earlier this year when he designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization.<\/p>\n<p>In Texas, anti-gang centers already have ongoing criminal enterprise investigations against TdA. The Texas Department of Public Safety launched a statewide operation to target them, is developing a database to track them, and launched a reward program offering up to $5,000 for information leading to their arrests, The Center Square&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/texas\/article_d337d6fc-7461-11ef-b344-d7ae1692de43.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1921802\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1921802\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua expands crime in Florida<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2384034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ice-ero-immigrant-deportation-plane.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[47486,5113,47485],"class_list":["post-2384033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-crime-increase","tag-florida","tag-venezuelan-gangs"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ice-ero-immigrant-deportation-plane.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2384033"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2384037,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384033\/revisions\/2384037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2384034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2384033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2384033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2384033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}