The feds threw the guide at 27 suspected members of Tren de Aragua — and its “Anti-Tren” splinter faction — who allegedly plotted murders, extortion and intercourse trafficked younger girls throughout New York Metropolis.
A twin set of recent indictments unveiled Monday in Manhattan federal court docket mark the primary time that the alleged migrant gang members are being hit with racketeering — or RICO — fees, which the federal government used to take down the mob.
“Tren de Aragua is one of the most dangerous gangs in the country, and the NYPD has taken significant action to shut down their operations in New York City,” stated Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, in a press release.
“For the first time ever, TdA is being named and charged as the criminal enterprise that it is. This isn’t just street crime—it’s organized racketeering, and this gang has shown zero regard for the safety of New Yorkers.”
The alleged gang members embrace Jarwin Valero-Calderon, 29, who was swept up throughout a December raid on an residence within the Bronx.
Gang members threatened the realm close to the Prospect Avenue residence for months, court docket papers allege.
Throughout one September incident, a person and certainly one of his girl companions went to a celebration close to the residence and had been confronted by gun-toting Samuel Gonzalez Castro and Eferson Morillo-Gomez , in line with the court docket papers.
Castro advised the person that they’d “blow his f—ing head off” if he tried to run, the papers allege.
“As this was occurring, the Companion was screaming,” the papers state. “Castro and Morillo-Gomez told the Companion, in substance, that she needed to stop screaming or they would kill her too.”
The rogue’s gallery of alleged Tren de Aragua members named within the indictment additionally contains Anderson Smith Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, who was allegedly concerned within the gang’s surprising takeover of an Aurora, Colorado, residence constructing.
He’s listed as a part of “Anti-Tren,” an offshoot of Tren de Aragua virtually solely comprised of former members of that gang, in line with the indictment.
The feds leveled Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, fees towards the suspected gangbangers, which carry as much as life in jail.
The racketeering legislation has famously been utilized by federal prosecutors — together with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani — to bust up mafia households, in addition to goal hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Each alleged Tren and Anti-Tren members additionally face accusations they intercourse trafficked younger girls — whom they referred to as “multadas” — into the US, the feds stated.
The gangs have killed or threatened to kill these girls, along with assaulting and kidnapping ones who tried to flee their clutches, officers stated.
Sources stated the circumstances began in October and arrests unfolded as lately as Monday morning.
— Further reporting by Jennie Taer
