Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday announced the Justice Department has charged over two dozen alleged current and former members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) under the Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
The move marks the first time that the federal government has used the act to prosecute a foreign terrorist organization, or drug cartel, the Daily Wire reported. The act is typically used against the mafia.
Bondi and Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said charges have been filed against 27 people the department believes are former or current gang members. The charges include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, robbery, and firearms offenses.
“As alleged, Tren de Aragua is not just a street gang – it is a highly structured terrorist organization that has destroyed American families with brutal violence, engaged in human trafficking, and spread deadly drugs through our communities,” Bondi said. “Today’s indictments and arrests span three states and will devastate TdA’s infrastructure as we work to completely dismantle and purge this organization from our country.”
The indictment also accuses 19 of the 27 people charged of being part of the Tren de Aragua offshoot referred to as “Anti-Tren.”
The Justice Department additionally claimed that the violent Venezuelan gang is particularly active in New York City, including in Queens and the Bronx.