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

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

Having started in a Venezuelan prison, the TBI says Tren de Aragua now operates in major U.S. cities, including right here in Tennessee.

Carter Smith of MTSU’s Criminal Justice Department says the bigger the gang, the greater its influence, comparing ADD to MS-13. He adds: “They will continue to escalate the violence; they will discover what they are really, really good at.

On Thursday, we asked TBI a series of questions, including TDA arrest numbers across the state, as well as a list of cities in Tennessee where the gang has been spotted the most. 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 increased concerns about the potential for crime related to the Tren de Aragua (TdA), a large and violent Venezuelan transnational gang.

For context, the first crime in Tennessee that the TBI identified as TdA-related was a human trafficking case from 2023. Currently, intelligence suggests the gang is still primarily involved in promoting human trafficking in Tennessee, but the gang’s known history of involvement in robberies and drug crimes elsewhere continues to inform our concerted efforts to better understand and identify more consistent crimes of Tennessee which can be connected to TdA.

In recent years, images of tattoos have been widely shared to identify people affiliated with the gang. However, current intelligence suggests that the gang may be less reliant on tattoos, so it may be difficult to identify individuals affiliated with TdA. Instead, the BIT would remind the general public of the warning signs of human trafficking itself, which can be found on www.ITHasToStop.com“.

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

With extensive experience around the world, we met this former border patrol agent and current deputy special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Matthew Daly says there are currently no cases involving TDA, but in general he has noticed more involvement in drug dealing in Nashville.

He adds: “Our role, from the DEA’s perspective, is to destroy an entire organization from start to finish. »

The TBI says ADD is harder to identify because the criminal group relies less on tattoos, instead urging the public to watch for warning signs of human trafficking. The DEA says warning signs of drug trafficking can include constant foot or vehicle traffic or various license plates.

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