By Jessica Willey
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Federal officials on Monday announced what they’re calling the largest takedown yet of alleged members and associates of the Anti-Tren gang, a violent offshoot of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua (TdA) criminal network.
Sixteen men, all living in Houston and most in the U.S. illegally, according to the FBI, now face federal charges in a case that targets a crime group said to be in direct conflict with TdA. The charges include conspiracy to traffic cocaine and a range of weapons violations. Most of the suspects made their initial court appearances Monday at the federal courthouse in downtown Houston.
The charges come just a week after the FBI added the first-ever TdA member, Giovanni Serrano, to its 10 Most Wanted list, a sign, officials say, of how seriously they’re taking the growing influence of Venezuelan transnational gangs in the U.S.
“These arrests are the largest takedown of suspected Anti-Tren members and associates by the FBI so far,” Douglas Williams, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Houston Field Office, said. “These individuals are accused of engaging in a turf war with TdA members and carrying out numerous violent crimes throughout our city.”
Among those charged is 29-year-old Jose Briceno, a Venezuelan national, who was already in custody at the Harris County Jail. Briceno is accused of opening fire at Latinas Sports Bar on Hillcroft in March, a mass shooting that left six people wounded. In addition to state aggravated assault charges, Briceno now faces federal charges for unlawful possession of ammunition.
Two separate criminal complaints name 14 suspects in a conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. Those charged include Luis Miguel Claros Sarmiento, 26, Dany E. Rojas, 28, Ismael Leon Belbin, 24, Andy Luis Alvarez Herrera, 28, Cesar Oskeiber Cabezas Pacheco, 26, Cesar Mauricio Velasquez, 27, Raul Armando Ramirez Correa, 24, Darwin Martinez, 37, Peter Davila, 34, Otis Jose Rodriguez Garcia, 31, Pedro Hernandez Delgado, 19, Jesus F. Fernandez Troconiz, 26, Embeer J. Gutierrez Ternawskyj, 24, Raul Antonio Claros Sarmiento, 30.
In addition to the drug charges, Correa, Ternawskyj, Garcia, Delgado, and Pedro Jose Ramirez Delgado, 26, face separate firearms-related charges involving the possession and illegal sale of weapons.
Federal authorities say the Anti-Tren gang is composed largely of defectors from the TdA organization, members who splintered off but continue similar criminal activity, including drug smuggling, gun trafficking, and acts of violence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with the assistance of DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, ICE, Texas DPS, HPD, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
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