Drug Enforcement Administration weighs in on Venezuelan gang in Tenn. cities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — In Operation Crime and Justice, more questions arise after a FOX 17 news report that a well-known Venezuelan gang is invading Tennessee cities.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) used a state budget hearing this week to issue a warning about this brutal group. From human trafficking to retail crime and the drug trade, the TBI believes the TDA will soon be part of it all.

Starting in a Venezuelan prison, the TBI says Tren de Aragua is now operating in major U.S. cities, including right here in Tennessee.

Carter Smith, with the Criminal Justice Department at MTSU, says the larger the gang, the greater its influence, comparing the TDA to MS-13. He adds, “They will continue to escalate the violence; they will figure out what they’re really, really good at.”

On Thursday, we asked TBI a series of questions, including statewide TDA arrest numbers, as well as a list of Tennessee cities where the gang has been spotted the most. However, they didn’t answer those questions. Instead, a TBI spokesperson sent a lengthy statement:

“As many law enforcement agencies across the country, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has increased concerns about the potential for crime connected to Tren de Aragua (TdA), a prominent, violent Venezuelan transnational gang.

For context, the earliest crime in Tennessee the TBI has identified as TdA-connected dates to a 2023 human trafficking case. At this time, intelligence suggests the gang is predominantly still involved in fostering human trafficking in Tennessee, but the known track record of the gang’s involvement in theft and drug crimes elsewhere continues to inform our concerted efforts to better understand and more consistently identify Tennessee crimes that may be connected to TdA.

In recent years, images of tattoos have been widely shared to identify those affiliated with the gang. However, current intelligence suggests the gang may be less reliant on tattoos, so identifying those affiliated with TdA may be difficult. Instead, the TBI would remind the general public of the warning signs of human trafficking itself, which can be found at www.ITHasToStop.com.”

“Generally speaking, these other gangs will come in, work with the lower-level street gangs, and work their way into the drug trafficking, which we anticipate happening with TDA,” says Matthew Daly.

With a strong background across the globe, we caught up with this former border patrol agent and current assistant special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Matthew Daly says there are no current cases involving the TDA, but in general, he has noticed greater involvement in the Nashville drug trade.

He adds, “Our role, from the DEA perspective, is to take down an entire organization from beginning to end.”

The TBI says the TDA is harder to identify because the criminal group is less reliant on tattoos, instead urging the public to watch for warning signs of human trafficking. DEA says warning signs for drug trafficking may include constant foot or vehicle traffic or various license plates.

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