Law enforcement in New York City has made 517 arrests this year of members, associates, and suspected co-conspirators of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Venezuelan gang whose influence has extended across the city. According to the New York Police Department, more than 200 suspected members and associates of the gang remain to be documented, as the gang continues to expand its reach.
The NYPD has specifically identified 41 migrant “gangbangers” who have collectively accumulated 143 arrests since the beginning of the year, according to a report by the New York Post. Nearly half of these arrests occurred in high-traffic retail areas in Midtown, including Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and Radio City Music Hall.
“If you go back two years — that’s about when we think they first started arriving — we’ve made 45% more arrests than we did two years ago,” a law enforcement source said, per the New York Post. “This is a gang that conspires to make money off of committing crimes.”
The gang’s influence reportedly extends beyond official members. An offshoot group, “Diablos de la 42,” includes members as young as 11 years old, and law enforcement has made multiple arrests involving both TdA and these affiliated groups.
Out of the 517 arrests citywide this year, 57 percent occurred in Midtown, with most migrant-related arrests involving felony charges such as robbery and grand larceny as well as assault and auto theft.