Violent Venezuelan gang's arrival parks concerns in Miami

A Venezuelan criminal gang known as "Tren de Aragua," notorious for its activities in South America, has seemingly extended its operations to South Florida, with at least one member allegedly involved in a recent murder in Miami. This development follows reports of members leaving Colombia and making their way to the United States, which was largely speculative until this case.

The incident centers around the abduction and murder of José Luis Sánchez Valera, a 43-year-old retired Venezuelan police officer living in Doral, Florida. Sánchez was reportedly lured by women to a Miami hotel room in late November, where he was subsequently abducted and killed in the hotel parking lot. Yurwin Salazar, a 23-year-old Venezuelan immigrant residing in South Florida, has been charged with the murder.

Police reports indicate that Salazar is associated with Tren de Aragua, a notorious gang known for terrorizing citizens in Venezuela for over a decade.

This case marks the first documented instance of a Tren de Aragua gang member allegedly committing a crime in South Florida, an area that has recently seen an increase in criminal activities linked to the gang.

According to a Miami-Dade Police report, Sánchez left his residence around 10 p.m. on November 27 to meet a woman at the La Quinta Inn Hotel and Suites on NW 42 Ave. After several hours, he left the hotel accompanied by two women and returned to the parking lot. As he entered his vehicle, three individuals in dark clothing exited a nearby silver sedan and forcibly placed Sánchez in the back seat of his car.

Surveillance cameras captured the scene, indicating his abduction.

Hours later, a home invasion was reported at Sánchez's Doral apartment, where two armed assailants entered and demanded jewelry from Sánchez's roommate. They also took a safe from Sánchez's bedroom and fled in the same silver sedan used during the earlier abduction. After the home invasion, Sánchez's son tracked his father's location using a phone app, leading them to discover his vehicle abandoned with his lifeless body in the back seat, his hands and feet bound.

An autopsy revealed that Sánchez had been choked to death, officially classified as a homicide. During the home invasion, one of the suspects mentioned being part of "Tren De Aragua," a violent Venezuelan street gang currently operating in the United States, as reported by the FBI.

Yurwin Salazar-Maita, of Pompano Beach, was identified as a suspect based on fingerprint evidence and cell phone data placing him at the hotel. He has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, armed home invasion, kidnapping, and carjacking. Salazar-Maita appeared in court where he was ordered to be held without bond and appointed a public defender.

Authorities have not disclosed whether other suspects are being sought or if additional arrests have been made in connection with the case. This incident highlights the potential presence of Tren de Aragua gang members in South Florida and raises concerns about the gang's activities spreading beyond South America.

Hector Guerrero Flores, a 40-year-old fugitive, currently leads Tren de Aragua. During his more than decade-long incarceration in one of Venezuela's maximum-security prisons, he oversaw drug and human trafficking operations. Guerrero managed to escape in September, and authorities remain unaware of his current location.

Arrest warrants have been issued in various Latin American countries for Guerrero, who is commonly referred to by his alias, "El Nino Guerrero."