The notoriously violent Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela is continuing to spread across the United States. As we reported on December 10, TdA activities had been most recently noted in North Dakota. Now, the New York Post is saying gang members are being arrested for crimes in Utah.
The gang was allegedly behind a Sept. 22 assault and shooting in Salt Lake City. Four suspected gang members — ranging in age from 19 to 21 — were charged with assaulting three victims, injuring two. Afterwards, the gang members went on a wild car chase with friends of the assault victims that ended with a collision and shootout.
Less than a month later, on Halloween, three suspected members broke into a home and threatened the residents at gunpoint. One of the victims told officers she had been forced into prostitution by the gang when she first arrived in Utah.
A Venezuelan-born political candidate, Carlos Moreno, running for the Salt Lake County Council, warned that local law enforcement was not equipped to handle the growing criminal organization. Moreno told The Post that the gang differs significantly from local criminal gangs. He said they are more organized, more violent, and more secret than their homegrown competitors. He also warned that local police face new language and cultural barriers in dealing with the TdA and that the gang has a potential for blending into migrant communities. Moreno added that those communities have a ready-made fear of the gang.