Police arrest Venezuelan illegal migrants in connection to murder, Tren De Aragua connections suspected

Law enforcement in upstate New York arrested two illegal migrants on Wednesday in connection to a murder, and they believe both individuals have ties to an international crime syndicate.

Police in Rensselaer, New York, arrested 24-year-old Gregory Marlyn Galindez-Trias and 22-year-old Moises Alejandro Condollo-Urbaneja after the pair allegedly used a stolen credit card at a nearby Amtrak station, according to the Rensselaer Police Department. That credit card belonged to a Stamford, Connecticut, man who was murdered on Monday.

The credit card in question belonged to Angel Samaniego, a 59-year-old man who was shot dead on Monday at a Super 8 Hotel, according to local media. The motive for his homicide is not yet immediately clear.

A spokesperson for the Rensselaer Police Department (RPD) — after contacting federal immigration authorities — confirmed that Trias and Urbaneja are Venezuelan nationals living unlawfully in the U.S., and said there is mounting evidence that both have ties to Tren de Aragua.

“They did have tattoos associated with [Tren de Aragua],” RPD deputy chief of police John Mooney told the DCNF on Friday.

Two children, ages one and three, were with the couple upon their arrests and both were placed into Rensselaer County Protective Services, according to law enforcement. Moody confirmed to the DCNF that both children belonged to Trias.

Court testimony from Trias further indicated that she was connected to the deadly Venezuelan gang, according to the Stamford Advocate. Speaking through a translator during her hearing, Trias expressed fear of what Tren de Aragua would do to her now that she had been taken into custody.

A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF about Trias or Urbaneja.

News of the arrest follows escalating incidents of Tren de Aragua-related crimes and reports of the gang’s growing presence in the United States. Mounting evidence suggest the international gang had taken over several apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado, and also complexes in San Antonio, Texas, and is implicated in other crimes across the country.

Reports of Tren de Aragua’s activities in the U.S. have coincided with mass Venezuelan immigration in the past few years.

More than 570,000 Venezuelan nationals have unlawfully crossed into the U.S. since fiscal year 2021, according to the latest data from Customs and Border Protection. The Biden-Harris administration has additionally allowed the Venezuelans into the U.S. en masse via a migrant flight program known as CHNV, with roughly 121,000 Venezuelans vetted and authorized for entry so far.

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