DHS cracks down on a Dominican-origin gang and arrests 26 alleged members charged with multiple crimes

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the indictment of 26 alleged members of the Trinitarios gang, charged with multiple crimes. During the operations, special agents from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) team executed eight search warrants and arrested the suspects.

In a press release, DHS noted that the alleged gang members were charged under the RICO Act, which allows prosecutors to pursue and prosecute entire criminal organizations, holding their members accountable for participating in an organized criminal enterprise and not merely for individual crimes.

The charges against them include "five murders and 19 attempted murders, trafficking of dozens of kilograms of drugs, extortion, kidnapping, and robbery." The charges were filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

As for the Trinitarios, they are a gang of Dominican origin that emerged in New York in the late 1980s. Their name refers to La Trinitaria, the secret society founded by Juan Pablo Duarte during the struggle for the Dominican Republic's independence.

Currently, the group has a presence in states such as New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, where they are associated with acts of street violence, including homicides, attacks against rival gangs, and activities linked to local drug trafficking.

"It is safe to say that for far too long the Trinitarios have wreaked havoc and instilled fear in our communities. Murders, attempted murders, kidnapping, witness tampering and extortion. The list goes on and on, but that ends today. Their boldness and hubris are quite frankly astounding," U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said.

"It appears the defendants believed they were immune from prosecution. They were wrong. Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in my office, 56 Trinitarios have been taken off the streets and their entire leadership has been decimated," she added.

DHS also noted that the operations led to the arrest of seven undocumented immigrants who have already been deported or are in the process of being deported.