(The Center Square) – Illegal border crossers identified as members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua prison gang continue to be arrested in Texas on suspicion of committing violent crimes.
Three Venezuelan men, all of whom entered the country illegally, were recently arrested on suspicion of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in Farmers Branch, a northwest suburb of Dallas.
Two suspects have been arrested in Aurora, Colorado. One person was arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico. All three will be extradited to Texas. A fourth person remains at large.
The Farmers Branch Police Department announced this week that all five Venezuelan men are believed to be part of a nationwide ATM theft ring.
The three arrested were charged with the heinous murder of 33-year-old Nirzurt Petit, also a confirmed member of the TDA gang.
These arrests are related to Petit’s murder on August 24, 2024. Farmers Branch police officers found his body with a single gunshot wound to the head. FBPD and Louisville Police Department officers also located two juveniles believed to be acquainted with Petit, who was spotted walking along Interstate 35 in Louisville earlier in the day.
When they were recovered, police said, “Petit and the two boys were forcibly taken from an apartment complex in Fair Oaks Crossing in Dallas at approximately 12:30 a.m. by several unknown suspects.” drove Petit and the boy to the Farmer’s Branch location.” , Petit was then shot and killed. “The suspects then fled the scene with the two juveniles in a light-colored four-door sedan, releasing the juveniles unharmed onto the IH-35E service road,” FBPD said in a statement.
Through an extensive investigation, FBPD detectives were initially able to identify two suspects believed to be associates of Petit, who were allegedly involved in a complex ATM theft operation targeting multiple locations across the country. Ta. After recent ATM theft crimes, “suspects accused Petit of withholding some of the stolen money from other members of the theft group.” They reportedly confronted Mr. Petit and demanded payment, but “he was unwilling or unable to pay it.” According to FBPD, Mr. Petit and the two boys He was forcibly taken from the apartment complex and driven to the Farmers Branch area, where he was killed in an execution-style manner.
As a result of the investigation, FBPD detectives traveled to Aurora, Colorado in September to interview two suspects. They were already in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. They have since been charged with secret murder and aggravated kidnapping and are awaiting extradition to Texas.
Detectives, in cooperation with Homeland Security investigators, were also able to identify a third suspect who is believed to be the mastermind behind the ATM thefts. On October 11, he was arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico on outstanding warrants for capital murder and aggravated kidnapping out of Dallas County. He is also currently awaiting extradition.
During the investigation, detectives also determined that Petit and all of the suspects were affiliated with the TDA, and that this murder was unrelated to any other investigation or criminal case within the Farmers Branch.
A fourth suspect, Johnny Jesus Martinez Serrano, 29, remains at large. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is encouraged to contact FBPD, anonymously, at 972-919-1406 or pdinfoandtips@farmersbranchtx.gov.
FBPD actively works with numerous law enforcement agencies and “contributed to the investigation, search, pursuit, and arrest of death row inmates.”
Federal agencies involved in this case include DHS HSI. Ice; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. F.B.I. the U.S. Marshals Service; and the U.S. Secret Service.
State agencies involved in the case include the Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas Financial Crimes Information Center. Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado State Police; and the South Dakota State Attorney’s Office. County authorities include Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Campbell County, Wyoming. Meade County, South Dakota. Dona Ana County, New Mexico. and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
City agencies include the Dallas Police Department. Aurora Police Department; Gillette Police Department, Wyoming; Middleburg Heights, Ohio Police Department. Belle Fourche Police Department, South Dakota. Oklahoma City Police Department. Lawton Police Department, Oklahoma. Irving Police Department; Greenville Police Department; and Carrollton Police Department.
The multi-agency operation was underway as Gov. Greg Abbott launches an effort to crack down on TDA crimes, which have skyrocketed under the Biden-Harris administration. It also designated the TDA as a foreign terrorist organization.
Texas DPS is also offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of a TDA gang member. DPS and city law enforcement efforts continue to target TDA crimes in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio with success, Center Square reported.
The news comes amid reports that more than 1 million Venezuelans have entered the country illegally under the Biden-Harris administration, Center Square exclusively reported.
