Authorities in El Paso, Texas, are taking action after reports surfaced that the Venezuelan-based gang Tren de Aragua has taken over the historic Gateway Hotel in downtown El Paso. El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez has filed an application for a temporary restraining order and injunction against the hotel's owner, Howard “Danny” Yun.
The county attorney's office alleges that Yun turns a blind eye to criminal activities at his establishment, which has been without a certificate of occupancy since November 2018, violating city requirements. Over the past two years, police have been called to the property 693 times, and the hotel has failed three fire department inspections since July. (RELATED: Colorado Governor Urges Residents To Ignore Viral Videos Of Armed Migrants Overtaking Apartments)
Affidavits from El Paso Police Department officers corroborate claims of increasing gang activity. Surveillance footage from the hotel shows altercations, including a migrant holding a weapon and scenes of adults partying with explicit dancing and drug use while young children are present.
KFOX14 sheds more light on the situation in West Texas:
In one of the police reports, an officer reported he suspected prostitution from the hotel, and notes the “continuous incidents of criminal activity” has increased “with the introduction of the Tren De Aragua organization into the hotel.”
Another police report stated an officer noted several people in the hotel had tattoos associated with the Venezuelan Tren De Aragua gang organization.
The report also stated the officer saw the general reputation of the Gateway for “allowing illegal activity (consuming drugs, gang activity, illegal dumping).
Read the full document below:
On Monday, a judge granted an injunction, ordering all occupants to vacate the hotel by Thursday at 10 a.m. (RELATED: Trump Vows To Purge Venezuelan Gang Members ‘Taking Over' Metro Denver Apartments: ‘Get Them The Hell Out')
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Before Yun took over, the previous owner was sentenced to 15 years for money laundering and a scheme to smuggle thousands of illegal immigrants into the United States. Many of them were housed in the hotel, according to the El Paso Times.
The Origins of Tren de Aragua
“Tren de Aragua,” translates to “Aragua Train,” symbolizing the gang's control and movement through various territories, much like a train route.
Tren de Aragua gang originally operated within Venezuela's prison system, where they were involved in extortion, drug trafficking and smuggling. However, their influence quickly spread beyond the country's prison walls, turning them into a dominant force in Venezuela's criminal underworld.
As the gang expanded, they diversified their criminal activities to include kidnapping, human trafficking, arms smuggling and running protection rackets. They also became heavily involved in illegal mining operations, particularly in the resource-rich Orinoco Mining Arc.
The gang's power grew as Venezuela's economic and political crisis deepened under the socialist president, Nicolás Maduro. The breakdown of state institutions, widespread corruption and lack of law enforcement allowed it to operate with relative impunity.
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