TEXAS — Authorities are working to combat a gang with ties to drug and human trafficking reaching from the southern tip of Chile to Western New York.

The gang, known as Tren de Aragua or TDA, is now facing action from Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The governor has directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to start a database for suspected and confirmed members of the gang.

The governor showed a map of the gang’s impact in the U.S., with a yellow dot indicating Western New York as a drug trafficking location. News10NBC is working to get more information about that from local law enforcement.

“TDA is the largest criminal organization in Venezuela. It started as a prison gang in the state of Aragua, Venezuela and has now expanded to a trans-national criminal organization,” Abbott said.

Abbott declared TDA a foreign terrorist organization, which means enhanced criminal penalties to keep members in jail, among other things.

According to the governor’s office, since 2021, more than 3,000 illegal immigrants from Venezuela have been arrested in Texas.

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