By Tiffany Williams –
Federal prosecutors announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging 10 members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua with racketeering, murder, sex trafficking, and drug crimes across New York City.
The indictment names Keiber Jaen Martinez, Samuel Gonzalez Castro, Eferson Morillo-Gomez, Keiver Silva-Jimenez, Keineyer Ibarra-Mujica, Marlon Farias, and four others, for their roles in the May 24, 2024, Bronx double murder of Claretha LaQuesha Daniels, 44, and Justin Lawless, 36. A third victim was also shot and injured in the attack near 2290 Davidson Avenue.
Gonzalez Castro faces additional charges for an August 3, 2024, Queens shooting targeting a rival gang member from a TdA splinter group known as Anti-Tren, which also injured an innocent bystander.
Six of the 10 defendants had previously been charged in April with racketeering, firearms, drug, and sex trafficking offenses. Eight are already in custody, Silva-Jimenez remains at large, and Farias was deported. The case is before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote in the Southern District of New York.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi called Tren de Aragua “one of the most violent and ruthless terrorist gangs on planet earth” and vowed the Justice Department will dismantle the gang “by any legal means necessary.” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the indictment is a victory for law enforcement and for Americans, emphasizing that illegal immigrants who commit crimes will be hunted down and removed.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said TdA’s crimes are “devastating and horrific,” citing robberies, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and the Bronx murders. ICE Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel described the gang’s brutality as “a reign of terror in New York,” vowing to dismantle TdA “piece by piece.” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the city has taken “significant action” to root out the gang and shut down its operations.
According to the indictment, Tren de Aragua operated throughout the Bronx and Queens, as well as internationally in Venezuela and Peru. The gang used murder, assault, threats, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, and robberies to preserve its power and territory, enforce compliance among sex trafficking victims, and retaliate against rivals.
The indictment details how members trafficked young women from Venezuela into Peru and the U.S., forcing them into sex work and enforcing obedience through threats, assaults, shootings, and kidnappings. TdA also used violence to maintain control over its criminal operations and protect members from law enforcement.
On May 24, 2024, Jaen Martinez, Gonzalez Castro, Morillo-Gomez, Silva-Jimenez, Ibarra-Mujica, and Farias participated in the Bronx shooting that killed Daniels and Lawless. On August 4, 2024, Gonzalez Castro shot a rival gang member in Queens, wounding an innocent bystander. On September 30, 2024, Valero-Calderon, Gonzalez Castro, and Morillo-Gomez committed a gunpoint carjacking in the Bronx.
The indictment paints a chilling picture of TdA’s influence and violent reach, highlighting the gang’s ruthless grip on New York streets and its deadly international network.