The Justice Department charged more than two dozen suspected members of Tren de Aragua in a nationwide operation targeting weapons and drug trafficking carried out by the Venezuelan prison gang.
Federal officials said agents on Monday confiscated over 80 firearms, seized 18 kilograms of drugs such as fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, and took more than $100,000 in cash as they charged gang affiliates in five states.
“This is a massive and impactful takedown of over 25 Tren de Aragua terrorists who wreaked havoc on our streets,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “The FBI and our fiercely dedicated federal, state, and local partners continue to put criminals trafficking drugs and guns, endangering American lives, in prison in huge numbers.”
In Colorado, prosecutors said Jeremmy Andres Boscan-Delfin and Wilmer Jose Bolano-Sanchez were charged with illegally trafficking guns. Mr. Boscan-Deflin was also accused of distributing a drug called tusi, a mix of ketamine and MDMA.
Court documents said the two suspects sold several firearms to an undercover agent, including weapons with scratched-out serial numbers and other guns with high-capacity magazines and ammunition. Authorities said they seized 12 guns during their investigation.
The DOJ said both entered the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration.
Federal prosecutors in Nashville, Tennessee, brought gun and drug trafficking charges against members of TdA or a splinter faction that officials identified as “Anti-Tren.”
Authorities named the defendants as Maikel Jesus Albornoz-Jimenez, Eduard Jesus Velasquez-Matute, Faren Aldahir Marquez-Cruz, Jose Luis Baza-Rodriguez and Luis Manuel Tovar-Virguz, all of whom were said to have illegally crossed the border during the last presidential administration.
Court documents said Mr. Albornoz, Mr. Baza and Mr. Tovar moved 500 grams of a cocaine drug mixture and more than 50 grams of a methamphetamine mixture.
Additionally, the filing said Mr. Albornoz, Mr. Velasquez and Mr. Marquez were trafficking and carrying firearms to assist their drug enterprise. Drugs tied to those three defendants included 112 grams of methamphetamine, 340 grams of MDMA and ketamine and 870 grams of cocaine.
The indictment said agents seized 25 firearms from the trio, plus accused Mr. Albornoz of brokering the sales of guns beyond the Nashville area. Prosecutors said eight of the guns were reported stolen and two of the firearms were tied to Nashville shootings in November 2023 and September 2024.
Officials said three more suspected gang members were charged in connection to a drug trafficking scheme in Broward and Miami-Dade counties in South Florida.
All three defendants, who were not named, sold 500 MDMA pills, cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine and two guns to an undercover federal agent.
The DOJ said other defendants were charged in eastern Washington state and northern Indiana.
