Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have pulled back the curtain on what they say is a brutal offshoot of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, unsealing a 38-count superseding indictment that targets 27 alleged members of the Anti‑Tren faction and links the crew to a deadly Bronx double shooting.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the new filing stacks up charges that include racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, murder‑for‑hire conspiracy, kidnapping and sex trafficking, among other offenses. “Tren de Aragua is in the business of murder, sex trafficking, and intimidation,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in the release. Prosecutors say this S4 indictment folds six additional defendants into an ongoing case and pushes the total number of charged associates in the wider investigation to about 38.
Bronx double homicide at the center
At the heart of the case is a brazen Bronx killing. Prosecutors allege that on or about April 15, 2024, Yender Mata, Ervin “Coco” Hernandez and Kerlyn Nataliy Perez‑Lopez conspired to murder Jhombeyker Jose Bisbal Pina and Adrian Mendoza Isturiz, who were shot to death in the borough, as reported by the Tampa Free Press. The superseding indictment adds six new names to the federal roster and, according to prosecutors, broadens the documented reach of Anti‑Tren’s alleged violence across New York and beyond. Officials say five of the six newly charged defendants are already in federal custody.
Alleged trafficking and violence
Federal filings and earlier reporting describe a criminal business model that prosecutors say was as calculated as it was vicious. Anti‑Tren allegedly bankrolled its operations by smuggling young Venezuelan women, referred to as “multadas,” into the United States and coercing them into sex work to pay off debts. Authorities say control was maintained through threats, kidnappings and shootings.
Investigators also accuse the group of running drug trafficking and armed robbery schemes, and of imposing internal discipline that could include ordering members to be shot in the leg as punishment. For more on how the broader Tren de Aragua network has been treated as an organized criminal enterprise in New York and the earlier round of charges, see 27 Tren de Aragua Members Charged.
Multiagency effort
Officials say the sweeping case is part of “Operation Take Back America” and stems from work by Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), a multi‑district effort that brought together federal, state and local partners in the investigation. Agencies involved include Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service and the NYPD, according to the S4 indictment.
Investigators say the probe mapped out alleged trafficking routes and violence connected to Anti‑Tren across New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Washington state and Florida. The filing details a series of purported plots stretching from 2024 into 2025, including murder‑for‑hire schemes and a Yonkers home invasion.
What’s next
All of the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, and the case will proceed in federal court in Manhattan. Prosecutors say many of those charged could face life in prison if convicted.
The government’s use of a broad RICO strategy that treats Tren de Aragua as a structured transnational criminal operation tracks with earlier federal efforts and coverage, as AP reported. The unfolding case, including the latest Anti‑Tren indictment, has also drawn sustained attention from local outlets such as the Tampa Free Press.
