Federal officials on Monday announced what they’re calling the largest takedown yet of alleged members and associates of the Anti-Tren gang, a violent offshoot of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua (TdA) criminal network.
Sixteen men, all living in Houston and most in the U.S. illegally, according to the FBI, now face federal charges in a case that targets a crime group said to be in direct conflict with TdA. The charges include conspiracy to traffic cocaine and a range of weapons violations. Most of the suspects made their initial court appearances Monday at the federal courthouse in downtown Houston.
The charges come just a week after the FBI added the first-ever TdA member, Giovanni Serrano, to its 10 Most Wanted list, a sign, officials say, of how seriously they’re taking the growing influence of Venezuelan transnational gangs in the U.S…