NEW YORK (Diya TV) — An important figure in Venezuela’s violent criminal gang Tren de Aragua was detained early Tuesday morning by Homeland Security officials in New York City. He is 25-year-old Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco. He was wanted on multiple charges that were related to kidnapping, burglary, and menacing. All of these were connected to crimes he committed in Aurora, Colorado.
Zambrano-Pacheco was arrested at an apartment in the Bronx, New York, in an immigration raid. He is accused of being a leader of Tren de Aragua, one of the organizations that has gained notoriety for violent crimes, including human trafficking for sexual exploitation, human smuggling, and drug trafficking. The group, coming from a Venezuelan prison, quickly gained international notoriety, branching out across the United States.
The US government has declared Tren de Aragua one of the most dangerous transnational criminal organizations. Under former US President Donald Trump’s executive order, the group was declared a foreign terrorist organization because of the extensive criminal activity and threats to national security as well.
In Aurora, there are efforts to tackle this gang’s ascension within the city. The Mayor of Aurora was quoted to have described the situation as a “nightmare”. A special task force was also established to deal with the rising violence linked to Tren de Aragua members.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has expressed relief following the arrest. She said such criminals will continue to be removed from the streets.
