Emerging Venezuelan gang ‘more violent' than Tren de Aragua targeting rural America, expert warns
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An emerging Venezuelan gang has the potential to be 'more violent' than Tren de Aragua and target rural America, according to an expert.
Members of the Venezuelan-based gang have formed the 'Anti-Tren' gang, which federal authorities say is made up almost exclusively of former members of Tren de Aragua.
In a newly unsealed April federal indictment, prosecutors accused 21 men of running drug and prostitution rings in New York City.
According to the indictment, members of Anti-Tren 'protect their power and territory through various criminal acts, which includes violence towards members of Tren de Aragua.
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'Preserving and protecting the power and territory of Anti-Tren and its members and associates through acts involving murder, assault, other acts of violence, and threats of violence, including acts of violence and threats of violence directed at members and associates of Tren de Aragua,' the indictment states.
Members of Anti-Tren are also enriched through illegal smuggling, which includes young Venezuelan women, sex trafficking of young women, drug trafficking and armed robberies, federal officials allege.
Alleged gang members in custody at El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center on April 4, 2025.
REUTERS/Jose Cabezas
Robert Charles, assistant secretary of state at the US State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs from October 2003 to March 2005 and Maine gubernatorial candidate, told Fox News Digital he thinks the Anti-Tren group has the potential to become more violent than Tren de Aragua.
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'I've read some of the public accounts that suggest that this offshoot group is trying to distinguish itself by being more violent,' Charles said. 'With MS-13, they had various tests and things that they went through, and there were offshoots there that became more violent than the original group.'
Charles said gangs like Anti-Tren attempt to dominate an area geographically and one of the ways they accomplish that is through violence and intimidation.
Experts are warning Americans about a new gang called 'Anti Tren' formed by ex-members of Tren de Aragua.
via REUTERS
'They are also doing violence in an environment which they're taking advantage of people. They're taking advantage of the homeless, they're taking advantage of rural America,' Charles said of Anti-Tren.
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Charles said gangs like Anti-Tren are targeting rural parts of America because that's where they can 'maximize their gain' with little risk.
'We don't have the infrastructure in a very rural state to put patrols up through the northern part of the state and, frankly, to even keep drugs from coming in and the gangs from coming here,' Charles said of his state, Maine. 'Criminals are bad guys, but they are not stupid. And so what they look for is they look for opportunities to maximize their gain with the least possible risk.'
Charles said he thinks the group will be eager to get into fights with Tren de Aragua, which is why authorities need to work fast to quash the group.
'I think right now their numbers are relatively modest,' Charles said. 'If you look away from it, if you pretend that it's not important, if you appease it instead of deterring it, then absolutely it will grow. That's just the nature of crime.'
The Anti-Tren gang has a presence that expands beyond New York City.
In September 2024, a Texas woman was robbed at gunpoint, pistol-whipped and tied up in her Dallas-area home located in the ritzy neighborhood of Bluffview, where the average home value is $880,000, according to Zillow.
The robbery happened around 10 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2024, after the woman had just returned home from dinner.
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The men involved in the incident allegedly targeted the woman in her driveway, forced her into her home, then tied her up at gunpoint, according to records obtained by Fox News. The men involved allegedly threatened to cut her fingers off.
Using Google Translate to communicate with the victim, the suspects left the house with $75,000 worth of jewelry, a Ferragamo handbag, a Judith Leiber handbag, a Gucci purse, coins from a box inside the house and the victim's phone.
Documents obtained by Fox News at the time indicated that Manuel Hernandez-Hernandez, one of the men arrested, said the other men were part of the Anti-Tren gang, something the Dallas Police Department didn't comment on.
Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
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Trump tariffs live updates: Trump says he will set unilateral tariff rates within weeks
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"China is hurting, yes—but they still hold the upper hand on critical resources, and they know how to use them." Any lessening of tensions — and freer flow — of these mineral resources in China would be a significant boost to the global economy with China holding outsized leverage in both the reserves and processing capacity of these key building blocks for everything from computers to electric vehicle batteries to medical devices. Likewise, the US offering concessions on export controls would be a significant move after years where successive US administrations have wielded these controls — especially around the design and manufacture of semiconductors — by saying they need to be tight on China for national security reasons. Read more here. May's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report will be released on Wednesday and its expected to show that prices rose a bit faster than in April. Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal breaks down what to look out for and how President Trump's tariffs are impacting what consumers are now paying for goods and services. Read more here. Now that the US-China trade truce is back on track, both sides are keen to ensure it stays that way. China's Vice Premier He Lifeng said both sides need to now 'show the spirit of good faith in abiding by their commitments and jointly safeguard the hard-won results of the dialogue.' Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Despite the US-China trade truce resuming the pain from President Trump's tariffs remains in China, especially among small exporters. Reuters reports: Read more here. Japan warned Wednesday that tariffs threaten its economic growth, the government said in a monthly report. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. A federal appeals could said on Tuesday that President Trump's sweeping tariffs can continue for now. This is a significant win for Trump, who introduced tariffs back in March and declared "Liberation Day," as he saw them as a way to free the US from what he called unfair trade practices. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Early summer sales for Inditex, the owner of fashion retailer Zara, came in weaker, as the company missed expectations for first quarter sales on Wednesday. President Trump's tariffs have impacted consumer demand in the US and other major markets. Reuters reports: Read more here. After weeks of back and forth, the US and China have agreed on a framework to implement the Geneva consensus that helped ease tariffs. The breakthrough came after two days of talks in London, including a marathon session on Tuesday. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said both sides had to "get the negativity out" before making progress. 'Now we can go forward to try to do positive trade, growing trade,' he said. As part of the deal, Beijing has promised to speed up shipments of rare earth metals, a crucial component for global auto and defense industries. Washington will ease export controls. This marks the first sign of movement on key issues. The proposal will now be presented to President Trump and China's Xi. Still, the discussions also did little to resolve a long-standing issue: China's trade surplus with the US. 'Markets will likely welcome the shift from confrontation to coordination,' said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets. 'We're not out of the woods yet — it's up to Trump and Xi to approve and enforce the deal.' The meeting was set up after a phone call between the two leaders, following weeks of each side accusing the other of breaking the Geneva commitments. Both countries had used chips, rare earths, student visas and ethane as bargaining tools. 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