(NewsNation) — Venezuela’s largest criminal organization has extended its operations in the United States, and police report one of its members was involved in a recent murder in South Florida, sources tell NewsNation.
Known gang members from Tren de Aragua have joined the millions of Venezuelans migrating to the U.S, the sources say.
The Miami Herald reports that an alleged gang member, and Venezuelan immigrant, 23-year-old Yurwin Salazar, is facing a murder charge for the death of a retired Venezuelan police officer in South Florida.
According to the Miami-Dade Police Department, Salazar played a role in luring, abducting, and killing José Luis Sánchez Valera, 43, in November.
Venezuela’s homicide rate is more than six times the U.S.’s, and contributes to the significant exodus of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans from the country.
Gang members openly display weapons on social media and are known to have a distinctive train tattoo.
Ronaldo Vazquez, an immigration lawyer based in South Florida, represents Venezuelan migrants. Vazquez told NewsNation that many have faced extortion and kidnapping by Tren de Aragua members, expressing concerns for their safety in the U.S.
He says he’s heard the gang has given “the green light” to kill him. It’s part of what Vazquez calls their continued criminal activity.
“They’re extorting, they’re sex trafficking, they’re trafficking drugs, murder, contract killings,” said Vazquez.
Despite Salazar’s arrests and charges, law enforcement officials are searching for four suspects linked to the November murder. They believe those suspects could also be connected to the Venezuelan gang.