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Federal officials on Monday arrested 16 members of the Anti-Tren gang, a rival of the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), in Texas in what is being described as the largest Anti-Tren crackdown yet.
Of those 16 gang members, 14 are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, and two are charged separately with various weapons offenses based on their alleged possession and sale of firearms, according to the Justice Department.
“These arrests are the largest takedown of suspected Anti-Tren members and associates by the FBI, so far, and they happened right here in Houston,” FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams said in a Monday statement. “These individuals are accused of engaging in a turf war with TdA members and carrying out numerous violent crimes throughout our city, including a mass shooting at a local sports bar that left six people wounded.”
Charges alleged that Anti-Tren is a criminal organization mostly composed of former TdA members known for its deadly turf wars, as well as gun and drug trafficking.
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“The Southern District’s twin priorities are securing our border and the eradication of violent crime. This case implicates both,” U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said in a Monday statement. “Operation Take Back America means going on the offensive against transnational criminal organizations to ensure that they cannot take root in our community and endanger public safety. SDTX is going to be unapologetic in carrying out that mission.”
If convicted on the drug charges, the suspects face up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine.
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Those charged separately with firearms offenses could receive up to 15 years in prison.
Jose Miguel Briceno, a 25-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela living in Houston, is also charged separately with unlawful possession of ammunition by an alien after he was allegedly involved in a mass shooting in March at the Latinas Sports Bar club in Houston, where six people were wounded, including four in critical condition.
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Briceno is accused of using a firearm to shoot inside the doorway of the bar and then discarding the gun. Officials were unable to locate the weapon.
He faces up to 15 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine if convicted.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case with the Department of Justice’s Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), which was created to combat MS-13 and expanded to include TdA under Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The 16 arrests come as part of Operation Take Back America, “a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” according to the DOJ.
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