Did You Know TdA Has a Rival? The FBI Does, and They Just Nabbed a Bunch of Them in Sweeping Operation

By Bob Hoge | 4:25 PM on July 02, 2025



AP Photo/David Zalubowski

We’ve written plenty about the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua and their criminal exploits, but did you know they have a rival appropriately named the “Anti-Tren?”

The FBI does, and Director Kash Patel announced on social media Wednesday that they’d nabbed 16 of them in Texas in the largest crackdown on the group yet.

FBI Director Kash Patel


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Your FBI arrested 16 suspected Anti-Tren gang members in Texas in the largest bust yet. And our violent crime takedown this summer isn’t stopping any time soon.

1:42 PM · Jul 2, 2025

They’re alleged to have committed numerous felonies:

Of those 16 gang members, 14 are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, and two are charged separately with various weapons offenses based on their alleged possession and sale of firearms, according to the Justice Department.

"These arrests are the largest takedown of suspected Anti-Tren members and associates by the FBI, so far, and they happened right here in Houston," FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams said in a Monday statement. "These individuals are accused of engaging in a turf war with TdA members and carrying out numerous violent crimes throughout our city, including a mass shooting at a local sports bar that left six people wounded."

The gang is reportedly mostly made up of former (presumably disaffected) TdA members and is involved with gun trafficking and frequent turf battles with their former group.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said in a Monday statement:

"The Southern District’s twin priorities are securing our border and the eradication of violent crime. This case implicates both. Operation Take Back America means going on the offensive against transnational criminal organizations to ensure that they cannot take root in our community and endanger public safety. SDTX is going to be unapologetic in carrying out that mission."

US Attorney SDTX



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16 “Anti-Tren” members and associates charged with cocaine and firearms trafficking#HouNews#OperationTakeBackAmericahttps://justice.gov/usao-sdtx/p r/16-anti-tren-members-and-associates-charged-cocaine-and-firearms-trafficking


2:57 PM · Jun 30, 2025

The arrests come as part of "Operation Take Back America," which was established by the DOJ in March with the goal of “Repelling The Invasion Of Illegal Immigration” and “Achieving Total Elimination Of Cartels And Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs).”

President Trump promised a crackdown on illegal immigration after Joe Biden left the doors open to all comers for four years, and he promised crime would be treated like crime again. He’s delivered repeatedly on both vows, and his FBI Director Kash Patel and his Attorney General Pam Bondi have proven that they're taking his orders seriously.

And now there are 16 more reasons the country is that much safer today.

https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2025/07...ation-n2191171