Anti-Tren de Aragua Gang Member Arrested in Florida on Federal Racketeering Charge

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested a Venezuelan illegal alien in a Florida jail where he was serving time on local traffic charges. The anti-Tren de Aragua gang member now faces federal charges out of the Southern District of New York for racketeering conspiracy.

HSI officials announced the arrest of Mario Pereda, “a criminal illegal alien from Venezuelan [sic] & confirmed member of anti-Tren de Aragua,” on federal racketeering conspiracy charges out of the Southern District of New York. The Pinellas County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office turned the Venezuelan national over to the federal authorities after he was arrested on traffic charges.

A post by HSI on social media says Pereda is a confirmed member of Tren de Aragua, but court records obtained by Breitbart Texas from the Southern District of New York indicate his membership is in the spin-off faction, anti-Tren de Aragua.

Officials say the arrest stems from an ongoing investigation by the HSI New York Violent Gang Task Force.

A federal indictment obtained by Breitbart indicates Pereda and his co-conspirators are accused of multiple acts, which include murder, robbery, forced labor, trafficking in forced labor, sex trafficking, trafficking of firearms, murder-for-hire, and numerous drug-related offenses.

The ten-count indictment also alleges Pereda and his co-conspirators harbored illegal aliens for prostitution and other immoral purposes. They”did, directly and indirectly, import, and attempt to import into the United States one and more aliens for the purpose of prostitution and for any other immoral purpose, and did hold and attempt to hold one and more aliens for any such purpose in pursuance of such illegal importation, and did keep, maintain, control, support, employ, and harbor in any house or other place, for the purpose of prostitution and for any other immoral purpose, any alien, in pursuance of such illegal importation, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1328.”

The conspirators are alleged to have used threats of force, fraud, and coercion to force victims to engage in commercial sex acts, the indictment states.

In addition to the allegations of firearms trafficking, the accused members also allegedly carried firearms in the commission of the crimes mentioned above, a violation of Title 18 USC 924(c).

Pereda will be extradited to New York to face prosecution in the Southern District of New York.