Laken Riley murder suspect Jose Ibarra’s gang membership revealed

The suspect in the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley is a documented member of the infamous The Venezuelan crime syndicate Tren de Aragua (TdA), NewsNation reported Monday.

When the trial of Jose Ibarra resumed in Athens, Georgia, the trial resumed arose that the 26-year-old illegal immigrant was allegedly a member of the infamous gang, along with at least one of his brothers.

The gang was thrust into the national conversation around immigration after a viral video surfaced on social media showing armed members storming an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado. Since then, TdA’s presence has been reported across the country.

Newsweek contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment via email Monday morning.

Who is José Ibarra?

Ibarra was arrested shortly after Riley, 22, was found dead on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens on February 22, 2024.

Prosecutors believe he killed the student just after 9 a.m. while she was running. She died of blunt force trauma, with a medical examiner documenting a complex skull fracture and eight other lacerations.

Ibarra is charged with malice murder, murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, obstructing a 911 call and concealing the death of another. He faces a total of 10 charges, which he denies, and has waived his right to a jury trial.

The 26-year-old Venezuelan lived with his two brothers less than a mile from campus at the time.

Ibarra arrived in the US in September 2022 after illegally crossing the southwest border in El Paso, Texas. Immigration officials detained him but later released him while his case was pending.

The suspect was later arrested in New York in August 2023. It is not clear at what point he arrived in Georgia between that date and February 2024.

Ibarra’s brothers went to court

On Friday, the defense subpoenaed Ibarra’s brothers, Argenis and Diego Ibarra, as witnesses.

Diego was charged with green card fraud in February 2024. He previously worked at a UGA cafeteria before his arrest.

According to CNNDiego was linked to TdA by the US Ministry of Justice after that arrest earlier this year, with a five-point crown tattoo on his neck, typical of the gang members.

What is Tren de Aragua?

TdA, one of the largest and most violent criminal organizations in South America, has expanded its presence in the US, as evidenced by US Border Patrol reports of significant alarm among its members – 41 in FY 2023 and 23 in FY 2024 – which underlines the growing activity. .

The transnational criminal organization, founded in a Venezuelan prison and named after the state where it was founded, focuses on human trafficking, extortion and other abuses and targets vulnerable migrants.

In October, Mexican authorities warned about the migrant caravanThe US troops traveling towards the US are being ‘extorted’ by the infamous crime syndicate and the gang is also accused of trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation.

A report from Telemundo estimates that the gang has about 5,000 members and generates annual profits ranging from $10 to $15 million.

The crime syndicate is involved in a series of high-profile crimes on US soil.

In October, an alleged sex trafficking leader known as La Barbiewho reportedly has ties to TdA, was arrested in El Paso, according to a leaked Border Patrol memo seen by the New York Post.

Two men, Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, charged with The death of Jocelyn Nungary who lived in Houston last summer have ties to the gang.

In October, an alleged sex trafficking leader known as La Barbiewho is said to have ties to TdA, was arrested in El Paso, according to a leaked Border Patrol memo seen by the New York Post.

The owner of a hotel in El Paso is facing legal action over alleged violent criminal activity involving suspected members of the Venezuelan gang

Governor Greg Abbott has taken steps to designate the group as a terrorist organization, a measure aimed at increasing criminal penalties for suspected members. In addition, he has announced a $5,000 reward for information that helps identify or lead to the arrest of known or suspected members involved in criminal activity.

Abbott’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris told earlier Newsweek that TdA is a “ruthless organization that has no place in the state of Texas.”

“The price we have paid for the federal government’s failure to secure the border has been deadly. Among the many victims is 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was raped and murdered by illegal immigrants,” Mahaleris said.