Venezuelan gang members charged with murder in Dallas area

Three Venezuelan men, all in the country illegally, were the latest to be arrested on capital murder and aggravated kidnapping charges that allegedly occurred in Farmers Branch, a northwest suburb of Dallas.

Two suspects were arrested in Aurora, Colorado; one was arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico. All three will be extradited to Texas. A fourth remains at large.

All five Venezuelan men are believed to be part of a national ATM heist, the Farmers Branch Police Department announced this week.

The three who were arrested were charged with the murder of 33-year-old Nilzult Petit, also a confirmed TDA gang member.

The arrests are in connection with Petit’s murder on August 24, 2024. Farmers Branch police officers found his body with a single gunshot wound to the head. FBPD and Lewisville PD officers also located two juveniles believed to be known to Petit who were found walking along the I-35 service road in Lewisville in the early morning hours of the same day.

Upon recovering them, officers learned that “Petit and the two juveniles had been forcibly taken by several unknown suspects from an apartment complex at Fair Oaks Crossing in Dallas around 12:30 p.m. The suspects drove Petit and the juveniles to the Farmers Branch location. , where Petit was subsequently shot and killed. The suspects then fled with the two juveniles in a light-colored four-door sedan before releasing the juveniles unharmed onto the IH-35E service road,” the FBPD said in a statement.

Through an extensive investigation, FBPD detectives were initially able to identify two suspects they believe were Petit’s associates who were allegedly involved in a complex ATM theft targeting several locations across the country. After the latest ATM theft, the suspects “accused Petit of keeping portions of the stolen money” from others in the theft ring. They reportedly confronted Petit and demanded payment, “which he was unwilling or unable to provide. Petit and the two youths were then forcibly removed from their apartment complex and driven to the area in Farmers Branch where he was killed execution-style, FBPD said.

The investigation led FBPD detectives to Aurora, Colorado, where they traveled in September to interview two suspects. They were already in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They were subsequently charged with murder and aggravated kidnapping and are awaiting extradition to Texas.

Working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, investigators were also able to identify a third suspect believed to be the mastermind behind the ATM theft. On October 11, he was arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on outstanding warrants for capital murder and aggravated kidnapping out of Dallas County. He is also currently awaiting extradition.

During the course of the investigation, detectives also confirmed that Petit and all suspects are associated with TDA and that the murder is not related to any other investigation or criminal case in Farmers Branch.

A fourth suspect, Jhonny Jesus Martinez Serrano, 29, remains at large. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to contact the FBPD, also anonymously, at 972-919-1406 or (email protected).

The FBPD actively works with numerous law enforcement agencies, which it said “played a significant role in the investigation, search, tracking and apprehension of the homicide suspects.”

Federal agencies involved in the case include DHS HSI; ICE; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; United States Marshals Service; and the US Secret Service.

Government agencies involved in the case include the Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center; Colorado Bureau of Investigation; Colorado State Police; and the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office. County agencies include Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Campbell County, WY; Meade County, South Dakota; Dona Ana County, New Mexico; and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.

City agencies include the Dallas Police Department; Aurora Police; Gillette, Wyoming, Police Department; Middleburg Heights, Ohio, Police Department; Belle Fourche, South Dakota, police; Oklahoma City Police; Lawton, Oklahoma, Police Department; Irving Police; Greenville Police; and the Carrollton Police Department.

The multi-agency operation was underway as Gov. Greg Abbott launched an initiative to address the TDA crimes that have exploded under the Biden-Harris administration. He also labeled the TDA as a foreign terrorist organization.

Texas DPS is too to offer up to $5,000 in rewards for information leading to arrests of TDA gang members. DPS and city law enforcement operations continue to successfully tackle TDA crime in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, The Center Square reported.

The news comes as more than a million Venezuelans have entered the country illegally under the Biden-Harris administration, exclusively at The Center Square. reported.