(Patriot.Buzz) – In undeniable proof that the Biden administration’s open border policy has left America vulnerable to criminals, there is growing concern in cities across the nation over moped-riding thieves swiftly stealing smartphones right from people’s hands.
The novel trend escalated with an incident in Brooklyn where a 62-year-old woman was dragged down the street during a theft in December.
The New York Post uncovered that this surge in moped-related thefts is linked to the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua” that has infiltrated New York amid the recent influx of migrants. This criminal gang is known for its violent activities, drug dealing and human trafficking in South America.
Police initially attributed the rise in city thefts and robberies to unaffiliated criminals among the new migrants but the organized nature of these moped robberies was similar to the Tren de Aragua’s tactics in South America.
Although the NYPD noted a pattern in these crimes it has not publicly named the gang. Additionally a Venezuelan teen’s arrest in Times Square raised questions about the gang’s reach in New York.
Tren de Aragua started as a labor union group in Venezuela in 2012 but quickly evolved into a criminal organization with a notorious reputation for its brutal tactics. Its members can be identified by specific tattoos and have spread their operations to Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Chile. The gang’s leader is known as Niño Guerrero and has managed to evade capture during a significant raid by Venezuelan forces in 2019.
The gang’s presence in the U.S. has been growing after a significant number of its members crossed the southern border. They have been involved in controlling the migrant passage and have now extended their criminal activities to New York using new migrants as recruits for their operations.
The NYPD linked a group of at least 14 individuals mostly residing in migrant shelters to 62 robberies in the city since November 2023. These robbers work in pairs on mopeds and target individuals using their phones to ensure the devices remain unlocked to access personal and financial information.
These stolen phones often lead to drained bank accounts and fraudulent activities across the U.S. and ultimately end up being shipped to Colombia to be reset and resold.
Although there are efforts to apprehend these criminals, their elusive nature poses a significant challenge to the NYPD’s ongoing investigations aiming to dismantle this network and curb the rising tide of moped robberies in the city.
