How bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua used NYC migrant shelters to build a criminal empire: Hiding in plain sight

In little more than a year, a once-obscure South American street gang has taken hold in the Big Apple, exploiting the migrant crisis to build a violent criminal enterprise from within the walls of city shelters.Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan-bred crew of thugs, now terrorize Gotham with gun-toting, moped-riding hoods, sell illegal guns under the very noses of private shelter security guards, and run sleazy prostitution rings in neighborhoods suddenly besieged by the marauding migrants.The gang, which also peddles a lethal fentanyl mix called Tussi or “pink cocaine,” has grown so fast that they have so far overwhelmed both average New Yorkers and the city’s elite police force.“Not every migrant is here to commit crimes, not every migrant is a gang member,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.

“But these TDA guys hide very well in plain sight in the migrant community.“We aren’t looking to grab the food delivery guy, but these guys go so far as to wear Uber eats clothing, [use] the delivery bags while they’re out there committing their crimes,” the chief told The Post.“When we do arrest them they are very eager to talk about the crime they have committed.“They are unwilling to talk about TDA itself.”The gang, whose name means “train from Aragua” in Spanish, now runs citywide theft and robbery crews that have terrorized neighborhoods.In Jackson Heights, a stretch of Roosevelt Avenue dubbed the “Market of Sweethearts” has become a testament to TDA’s muscle and influence, with vendors peddling stolen items and an open-air red light district that has migrant hookers walking the streets day and night.

A 24-hour brothel raided by the NYPD last week may have ties to the gang, sources said.One current crime spree has seen nearly two dozen heists pulled off by migrants wielding guns or knives, with the crooks typically as young as 15 and no older than 19 years old, law enforcement sources said.The crews move in groups of a half-dozen o...