Venezuelan Gang-Linked Drug Ring Busted in NW Houston, $1M in Drugs Seized. HOUSTON — After a year-long undercover investigation, a $1 million narcotics business with connections to a dangerous Venezuelan gang has been shut down, Pct. 1 Constable Alan Rosen announced Wednesday.
According to officials, the organized crime group was running a drive-thru drug trafficking network out of a northwest Houston apartment complex on Antoine and Tidwell. According to Rosen, the suspects were selling up to 30 cars an hour with cocaine, meth, MDMA, black tar heroin, and marijuana.
The biggest narcotics seizure in Precinct 1 history resulted in the arrest of five men. According to DPS Lt. Craig Cummings, they might be connected to the infamous Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Due to immigration concerns, two additional individuals were transferred to ICE custody.
Here’s what was confiscated:
232 pounds of marijuana
13 kilos of methamphetamine
7 kilos of cocaine
1 kilo of MDMA
43 grams of black tar heroin
40 grams of mushrooms
24 firearms, including three that were stolen
According to Rosen, they even discovered a sizable religious shrine in one flat, which may have been put there to keep the police away.
“I mean, I can’t imagine a family living in this complex and the amount of traffic coming through there and the amount of people that were addicted to drugs and the illegal activities that were going on there,” Rosen stated. “I’m sure they saw it every day, their kids saw it every day and you know, we’re sick and tired of it.”
Those who saw what was happening might have been too afraid to report it, he suggested.
When two patrol officers pulled over some suspicious vehicles after noticing suspicious activity at the property, the inquiry got underway. After discovering cocaine in every car, they soon came to the conclusion that they had come onto a significant organization.
Along with special agents assigned to the DPS Texas Anti-Gang Center in Houston, Pct. 1 reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety for assistance with the surveillance and undercover operation. The Houston Police Department and the U.S. Marshal Service also became involved in the inquiry.
Rosen stated that more arrests may be made as the investigation continues.
“People deserve to live in peace and they deserve to be in a drug-free zone,” Rosen said.
