Police in Dallas, Texas, have arrested four individuals who are allegedly part of Venezuelan street gang called El Anti-Tren following the violent robbery of a woman in her home.
One of the suspects previously arrested for his role in the September robbery provided investigators with the nicknames of three other participants. The men allegedly attacked a woman in her driveway and held her at gunpoint in her living room, communicating with her through Google Translate as they robbed the home, according to a report from local news.
The woman told law enforcement that the suspects hit her on the head with a firearm and vowed to cut off her fingers if she did not cooperate. The suspects stole some $75,000 in jewelry, three designer handbags, several coins, and a phone belonging to the woman.
The fingerprint of the first arrested suspect, who said he was paid $150 to assist with the robbery, was found on a box containing the coins. That suspect had been arrested days earlier for having a defective brake light, no insurance, no vehicle registration, and no driver’s license, as well as possessing drug paraphernalia, and was released one day before the robbery.
Officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that all four suspects originate from Venezuela and are in the country illegally. They are being held in Dallas County Jail.
The violent robbery is the latest of several incidents that center on Venezuelan gang members illegally entering the United States and causing mayhem. El Anti-Tren is reportedly composed of former Tren De Aragua members who have been known to clash with the rival gang.
Tren De Aragua, named after the Venezuelan state of Aragua from which the gang originates, has reportedly accumulated a multinational criminal network across various Latin American countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Chile, while members have allegedly committed crimes in the United States such as sex trafficking, shooting police officers, and robbing jewelry stores.
Tren De Aragua members recently made headlines for overrunning a hotel in El Paso, Texas, as well as taking control of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.
