EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Monday, Sept. 23, that the Governor’s Public Safety Office is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of known or suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
To be eligible for the cash rewards, those submitting tips must provide information to authorities using one of the following methods:
• Call the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477)
• Submit a tip online through the Texas Department of Public Safety
The Governor’s Office says all tips are anonymous regardless of how they are submitted, and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name. Callers’ anonymity is guaranteed by law and could earn up to $5,000.
Last week, Abbott launched a statewide operation to target the Venezuelan gang to “disrupt their criminal operations and deny their foothold in the state.”
Abbott has also designated the gang as a foreign terrorist organization and directed the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to elevate them to a Tier 1 gang and create a Tren De Aragua strike team that will identify and arrest gang members.
“Tren de Aragua has spread terror and carnage in every country they’ve been in, and Texas will not allow them to gain a foothold in our state,” Abbott said. “Today, I am announcing a reward for any information that leads to the identification and arrest of known or suspected members of this gang who have been or are involved in heinous crimes. Texas will not let these thugs use our state as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens. I encourage anyone with information on Tren de Aragua to call the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline or submit an anonymous tip online. With the public’s help, combined with the hard work of federal, state, and local law enforcement, we will capture these dangerous gang members and put them behind bars for good.”
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