Drug enforcement authorities are weighing in on Venezuelan gangs in cities across Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — In Operation Crime and Justice, more questions arise after a FOX 17 news report that a well-known Venezuelan gang invades towns in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) used a state budget hearing this week to warn about this brazen group. From human trafficking to retail crime and drug trafficking, the TBI believes the TDA will soon be part of it.

Starting in a Venezuelan prison, the TBI says Tren de Aragua is now operating in major U.S. cities, including here in Tennessee.

Carter Smith, with the Criminal Justice Division at MTSU, says the bigger the gang, the greater its influence, comparing the TDA to MS-13. He added: “They will continue to escalate the violence; they will find out what they are really good at.

On Thursday, we asked TBI a series of questions, including statewide arrest numbers from the TDA, as well as a list of cities in Tennessee where the gang has been most spotted. However, they did not answer these questions. Instead, a TBI spokesperson sent a lengthy statement:

“Like many law enforcement agencies across the country, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has raised concerns about the possibility of crime linked to Tren de Aragua (TdA), a prominent, violent Venezuelan transnational gang.

For context, the earliest crime in Tennessee that the TBI has identified as TdA-related dates from a 2023 human trafficking case. At this time, the intelligence community indicates that the gang is still primarily involved in furthering human trafficking in Tennessee, but the The gang’s known track record of involvement in theft and drug crimes elsewhere continues to inform our collective efforts to better understand and more consistently identify crimes in Tennessee. can be connected to TdA.

In recent years, images of tattoos have been widely shared to identify those affiliated with the gang. However, current information suggests that the gang may be less reliant on tattoos, so identifying those affiliated with TdA may be difficult. Instead, the TBI would like to remind the general public of the warning signs of human trafficking itself, which can be found at www.ITHasToStop.com.”

“Generally speaking, these other gangs will come in, work with lower level street gangs and work their way into the drug trade, which we expect will happen at TDA,” said Matthew Daly.

With a strong background spanning the globe, we spoke with this former Border Patrol Agent and current Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the Drug Enforcement Administration. Matthew Daly says there are currently no cases involving the TDA, but overall he has noticed increased involvement in drug trafficking in Nashville.

He adds, “Our role, from the DEA perspective, is to take down an entire organization from start to finish.”

The TBI says the TDA is more difficult to identify because the criminal group is less dependent on tattoos, but urges the public to look for warning signs of human trafficking. DEA says warning signs of drug trafficking include constant foot or car traffic or different license plates.

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