The U.S. Department of Justice announced federal charges against eight alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) in the Northern Districts of Illinois and Texas, accusing them of murder, kidnapping, racketeering and firearms offenses, officials announced Thursday.
According to prosecutors, all eight defendants are Venezuelan nationals who entered the United States illegally between December 2021 and April 2024. One defendant charged in Texas is currently in custody in Colombia on unrelated charges.
Federal authorities allege TdA operates through regional cells that oversee criminal enterprises involving drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, sex trafficking and murder. Since Jan. 20, 2025, the Justice Department says it has federally charged more than 300 alleged TdA members and associates in 28 judicial districts.
Fact Checklist
- ✅ Eight alleged Tren de Aragua members charged in Illinois and Texas.
- ✅ Defendants accused of murder, kidnapping, racketeering and firearms offenses.
- ✅ All defendants are alleged Venezuelan nationals who entered the U.S. between December 2021 and April 2024.
- ✅ Three defendants charged in Chicago kidnapping and murder case.
- ✅ Five defendants indicted in Texas racketeering case.
Illinois Case
Three alleged TdA members were charged in Chicago with conspiring to kidnap and murder a man in May.
The defendants are:
- Josue Pacheco Torres, 26
- Julian Pachano, 19
- Kleiver Monasterio Briceno (“Goofy”), 20
According to the criminal complaint, the victim was abducted near Meyering Park, taken to an abandoned building on Chicago’s South Side and found dead with multiple gunshot wounds and blunt-force injuries. Authorities allege the killing was connected to TdA activities.
Texas Case
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas indicted five alleged TdA members on racketeering charges involving murder, kidnapping and other violent crimes, according to federal prosecutors.
The defendants are:
- Hector Asdrubal Garcia Zuniga (“Murry,” “Munra”), 36
- Carlos Luis Zambrano Bolivar, 27
- Jhonny Jesus Martinez Serrano, 31
- Jhonatan Nahin Toro Gonzalez, 23
- Ehiker Alexander Morales Mendoza (“El Ingeniero,” “El Negro”), 39
Prosecutors allege the defendants participated in a racketeering conspiracy involving murder, kidnapping, robbery and bank fraud. Three defendants also face murder-in-aid-of-racketeering charges, while Zambrano Bolivar is additionally charged with using a firearm during a violent crime resulting in death.
If convicted, the defendants in both cases face sentences of up to life in prison. Five defendants also face the possibility of the death penalty.