Officials disagree on presence of Venezuelan gang

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, David Rausch, made claims about the presence of a Venezuelan gang across all metropolitan areas in Tennessee.

This he said, included Chattanooga.

TBI director David Rausch says that the Tren de Aragua gang is active across the state.

This gang originated in a Venezuelan prison and has since caught the attention of authorities worldwide.

However, the question of if they are actually here in Chattanooga is one local and state officials don’t seem to agree on.

Rausch said, “The key piece is that we are concerned.”

The threat of Tren de Aragua, classified as a transnational criminal organization by the U-S Department of Treasury and even a terrorist group by Texas Governor Greg Abbott have raised the alarm bells of the TBI.

The gang is accused of drug and human trafficking among numerous other crimes.

Rausch said, “I don’t think we’re at the point of everyone having to watch outside their homes of this infiltration.”

Currently, the leader of the gang, nicknamed “Niño Guerrero”, has a $12 million bond by the U-S State Department for his arrest.

He is accused of controlling prisons, gold mines, drug corridors and even border crossings in Venezuela by the State Department.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the gang’s second in command, Jeison Comino, was arrested inside of his country which borders Venezuela.

Rausch said, “Now, the intelligence we have and the information we’ve gathered is that they are back, and that’s why we are raising the information now because we know they have returned, we don’t want to see them move into their next phases.”

While Director Rausch insists Tren de Aragya is operating here in Chattanooga, local officials say that is not the case.

Both the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Chattanooga Police Department have responded to the claims made by the TBI.

Sheriff Austin Garrett said quote, “Currently, there is no active investigation into this gang or its members residing and operating inside of the Hamilton County Jail.” 

Chattanooga Police Chief John Chambers also stated quote, “CPD has no evidence to indicate that the gang is actively operating in our city.” 

Rausch says that his agency isn’t stepping back.

He said, “Those agencies may not be able to tell you what’s going on directly in their community that we might know because they aren’t exposed to it at this level yet.”

Despite the disagreements both local and state officials do urge the public to remain vigilant to any potential criminal activity.