Venezuelan Gang Operating in ‘Every Major City’ in Tennessee, State Officials Say

Governor Bill Lee pledges support for TBI and endorses federal efforts to combat gang’s resurgence amid concerns over human trafficking and escalating violence.

Logo of Chattanooga Police Department on a uniform in Tennessee on July 24, 2014. Jason Davis/Getty Images

The violent Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua (TDA) is operating in every major city in Tennessee, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director David Rausch informed Gov. Bill Lee during a budget hearing this week.

Rausch revealed that TDA has reemerged in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga—the state’s four largest cities—after first being detected two years ago during a human trafficking operation.