The Department of Justice (DOJ) unleashed unprecedented criminal charges against members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, invoking a law that is best known for its use against the mafia in the fight against the foreign terror organization.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that it charged a total of 27 current and former Tren de Aragua members under the Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) for the first time ever, marking a new development in how the federal government prosecutes the cartels.
The indictment, Bondi says, will decimate the criminal network’s infrastructure.
“As alleged, Tren de Aragua is not just a street gang – it is a highly structured terrorist organization that has destroyed American families with brutal violence, engaged in…