Image Credit: Senator Marsha Blackburn / YouTube & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director David Rausch recently provided information on the background of the Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang and how they established a presence in Tennessee.
Speaking on Senator Marsha Blackburn’s “Unmuted with Marsha” podcast, Rausch explained that TDA first gained a following in Venezuelan prisons, eventually even working with the Venezuelan government to control those prisons.
“The [Venezuelan] government—ultimately embarrassed by what was going on—went in to take the prisons back and then they claimed that they [TDA] all escaped when they went back in to take the prisons back,” Rausch said. “And now, we know where they’ve escaped to. Most of them have transferred to other countries.”
According to Rausch, TBI agents first identified TDA in the state in 2022 during an investigation of a human trafficking case. He noted that intelligence information gained from victims led them to believe that the gang left for a short period of time, but “all of a sudden now, we’ve seen in the past few months a resurgence.”
Rausch stated that TDA initially gained a presence in the U.S. and other countries through involvement in human trafficking. Over time, the gang expanded into other forms of organized crime, such as drug trafficking and theft.
“That’s the next phase for them once they get established,” he noted. “After they do that, then they move into the drug trade, and they actually take on the cartels at that point.”
Some TDA members enter the U.S. claiming they are fleeing from the dictatorship of the Venezuelan government, though Rausch clarified, “Some of them are coming in that way, but the majority of them are being smuggled in.” They often bring females in with them through human trafficking operations and then use the dark web to traffic those women.
Rausch also revealed that TDA members have taken over apartment complexes in other major U.S. cities, but noted that this hasn’t happened in Tennessee yet.
“We’re not there yet, but we don’t want to get there,” he said.
After Blackburn noted that at least one TDA member had been recently arrested in Chattanooga, Rausch confirmed, “They are operating in our state.”
When asked what steps could be taken to remove these members, most of whom are illegal aliens, Rausch noted, “Unfortunately, we can’t return them to their country of origin because of the status of their country, and so that becomes a major challenge in the U.S. So, we have to figure out what to do with these individuals.”
Watch the video below:
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