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El Paso on high alert as dangerous Venezuelan gang described as 'MS-13 on steroids' surges into US

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El Paso on high alert as dangerous Venezuelan gang described as 'MS-13 on steroids' surges into US

The Mexican border state of Chihuahua is on alert for members of a violent Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua, or TdA, after receiving reports that members of the gang were moving through the state to cross into the U.S. near El Paso, Texas.

Chihuahua Secretary of Public Safety Gilberto Loya warned Monday that Mexican authorities have seen a large number of individuals they believe are members of TdA operating in the state and passing through to cross the U.S. border with Mexico near El Paso, according to a report from the Latin Times.

The report comes after the Treasury Department in July sanctioned TdA as a transnational criminal organization, noting that the gang has committed human trafficking, extortion, money laundering and drug trafficking that pose a “deadly criminal threat” across the Western Hemisphere.

VIDEO SHOWS ARMED GANG AT TROUBLED COLORADO APARTMENT BUILDING BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER BY MIGRANTS

A Texas National Guard soldier stands on patrol near the banks of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, on April 2. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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“Tren de Aragua leverages its transnational networks to traffic people, especially migrant women and girls, across borders for sex trafficking and debt bondage,” the Treasury Department said in a statement at the time. “Tren de Aragua members often kill them and publicize their deaths as a threat to others.”

U.S. officials warned earlier this month that the gang, which originated in Aragua, Venezuela, is infiltrating the U.S., while Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas., has described TdA as “MS-13 on steroids.”

“They’re extremely aggressive. It’s not as if they’re a passive group, or they want to quietly go about things,” Gonzales said in a phone interview with Fox News Digital earlier this month. “They’re coming from Venezuela, one of the most war-torn countries over the last decade. So, they’re battle-hardened in many ways. And they’ve made this trek from there to here. But they are also becoming… more organized and more brazen.”

Migrants try to cross the border between Piedras Negras, Mexico, and Eagle Pass, Texas, on Aug. 4, 2023. (David Peinado Romero/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA GIVES ‘GREEN LIGHT’ TO MEMBERS TO ATTACK COPS: OFFICIALS

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Members of the gang are suspected of being behind a recent video that captured a group of men armed with handguns and rifles bursting through the doors of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, that residents say has been overrun by gang activity.

“This is organized. They patrol the property with guns visibly, like they’re not trying to hide them. There’s no repercussion. These are ghosts,” said one resident who spoke with Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity.

The gang has been seen dealing drugs from the apartment building, another resident told Fox News Digital, while Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky told Fox News Digital that  “without a doubt that there is sex trafficking now going on” when it comes to TdA’s activities in the city.

Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang have overtaken an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, charging rent in exchange for protection. (Edward Romero)

In Mexico, Loya said that the group has been responsible for multiple homicides in Central Mexico and that it is his hope the border state can get out in front of the problem.

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“We have detected — thanks to collaboration with the United States — that a large number of people who belong to Tren de Aragua have passed through Chihuahua,” Loya said, according to a translation by Border Report. “Seeing what is going on in [Central Mexico], we want to be ahead of the curve here in Chihuahua.”

Neither the White House nor U.S. Customs and Border Patrol immediately responded to Fox News Digital requests for comment.

Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.

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Los Angeles, Ca

About 20 detained after armed suspect call sparks LAPD response in Koreatown

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About 20 detained after armed suspect call sparks LAPD response in Koreatown

About 20 people were detained Saturday during a large police response in Los Angeles’ Koreatown after authorities received reports of an armed man threatening people, officials said. Officers responded to the 3400 block of West 8th Street near Kingsley Drive on reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Police […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

Man found guilty of sex trafficking victim along L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor

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Man found guilty of sex trafficking victim along L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor

A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.

Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.

He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.

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At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota. 

She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.

Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.

“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.

In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.

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On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.

“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”

“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”

Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888

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Los Angeles, Ca

Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA

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Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA

The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]

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