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The Texas Department of Public Safety has worked with federal agencies in a joint investigation into a Venezuelan gang, arresting more than 40 people and seized the drug after the private Hayes County residence, state agency and the FBI announced Wednesday.
A warrant was executed on a gathering of individuals linked to Tren de Aragua, a gangster who began in a Venezuelan prison and was targeted by state and federal officials, according to a news release from the DPS and the FBI agents, after “developing intelligence” earlier this week. DPS did not elaborate on the possibility that dozens of detained people may be linked to gangs.
(Things you need to know about the Venezuelan gang targeted by Texas)
President Donald Trump’s administration targets criminal organizations as part of a broad pledge to deport millions of immigrants. However, Venezuelan parents who were detained and deported elsewhere in the country say they are not members of the gang.
It was not clear which potential crime authorities believe they had pledged to have the individual in detention. State and federal prosecutors will consider evidence obtained during the execution of search warrants to determine potential criminal charges, according to the DPS and the FBI.
The DPS, the FBI, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, and the Hayes County Sheriff’s Office, which participated in the business, did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear whether dozens of people were in detention.
The San Antonio Police Department assisted in the investigation leading up to the execution of the search warrant, but a department spokesperson declined to comment further as it was “part of a large ongoing case.” The DPS release said several local, state and local law enforcement agencies have been investigating gang members and peers for more than a year.
This is a developing story.
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