Venezuelan Gang Tren de Aragua Expands Sex Trafficking Operations Across Eight U.S. States

[Social Media]

 

The notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has been forcing vulnerable women into prostitution across eight U.S. states, capitalizing on their desperation and trapping them in a cycle of exploitation. A leaked law enforcement document reveals that this brutal gang preys on women who have sought refuge in the U.S., coercing them into sex work to pay off exorbitant smuggling debts. 

 

 

Tren de Aragua, originally a prison gang in Venezuela, has established criminal networks in Texas, Nevada, Illinois, California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, and New York, sparking an increase in migrant prostitution. In particular, authorities in these states are struggling to dismantle the growing sex trade linked to the gang’s operations. 

 

 

In New York City, the gang's influence is increasingly visible on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, where sex workers openly conduct business on the streets. According to local law enforcement sources, some of these brothels are believed to have connections with Tren de Aragua, which has been recruiting both foot soldiers and victims from the city’s migrant shelters.

 

 

“Once their fee is paid, they are allegedly free to go,” the memo said. “For some women, the debt is almost impossible to pay off due to penalty fees added by TdA members as punishment.” Many of these women, lured by the promise of a better life in the U.S., find themselves trapped in a harrowing reality. 

 

The gang’s origins in Venezuela did not prevent its reach from spreading across the U.S., where it now operates as a multi-state migrant crime syndicate involved in a variety of illegal activities. These include gun smuggling, armed robberies, theft, and drug dealing, notably of a dangerous fentanyl mix called Tussi or "pink cocaine." However, the gang’s sex trafficking rings have left the most profound scars in neighborhoods across the country. 

 

Tren de Aragua targets women in South and Central America with promises of a pathway into the U.S., usually through El Paso, Texas. Once these women are in the gang’s control, the deal shifts. They are provided clothing, hygiene care, and living arrangements, all of which are added to their already hefty smuggling fees. As the gang takes a cut of the money the women earn through prostitution, paying off their debt becomes a near-impossible task. 

 

The exploitation doesn’t stop at sex trafficking. Tren de Aragua’s criminal footprint is wide, with the gang taking over hotels and apartments as part of its operations. For example, they seized control of the Gateway Hotel in West Texas, terrorizing the area with guns and violence. The gang’s actions at the hotel led to more than 700 calls to the police, with surveillance footage capturing disturbing scenes of reckless behavior, fights, and partying, even as children were present in the hotel.

 

As law enforcement across the U.S. grapples with the gang’s expanding reach, the leaked memo warns that Tren de Aragua’s influence is expected to grow, with North Carolina likely to be its next target.

 

Based on a report from: NYP 2024-09-25