NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The U.S. Department of Justice has charged more than 25 people, including five defendants out of the Middle District of Tennessee, in connection with what the agency called “a nationwide crackdown targeting” Tren de Aragua.
According to Monday’s press release from the DOJ, Tren de Aragua started as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s and has since expanded and established a presence in the U.S. Some of their criminal activities involve the trafficking of drugs, firearms and people for commercial sex trafficking as well as theft, fraud and extortion.
In late 2024, TBI Director David Rausch said members of Tren de Aragua were in Middle Tennessee “in numbers” and issued a warning about the group. The press release said that since Jan. 20, 2025, the DOJ has federally charged more than 260 members and associates of the gang.
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In addition to members of Tren de Aragua, the DOJ said a faction called “Anti-Tren” with current and former Tren de Aragua gang members operating either without or against leadership in South America have been identified and arrested in Tennessee and other states. Both Anti-Tren and Tren de Aragua members have been accused of burglarizing ATMs as well as trafficking weapons and drugs. Those cases are part of Joint Task Force Vulcan…