Five illegal aliens tied to a forest terrorist organization are facing a slew of charges following an extensive crime spree in Florida, authorities say.
On Friday, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) announced a major bust involving Tren de Aragua gang members and affiliates.
PCSO detailed a specific incident involving all five male suspects that unfolded in early March at a Sam’s Club in north Lakeland.
The men reportedly loaded up a shopping cart with more than $3,000 worth of high-end liquor and attempted to steal it all.
The suspects rammed the cart into a female associate who stood in their way, at which point the suspects grabbed two cases of liquor, ran to a Ford Focus, and tried to flee the scene.
However, the getaway vehicle became disabled after it struck a curb, forcing the suspects to abandon it and continue on foot.
Authorities believe they hailed an Uber and escaped, however, they left cell phones, a passport, and the stolen liquor inside the Ford.
“Two of the suspects were positively identified and detectives determined they were incarcerated in Osceola County for a different robbery. Those suspects are Samuel Oglis David Anthony Charle, 25, and Ildemaro Miguel Escalona Mendoza, 26,” PCSO explained in a press release
“Once the three other suspects were identified – Alexis Jose Rodriguez-Benavides, 27, Darwins Smith Vasquez Leon, 28, and Ramon Jesus Carpintero-Luna, 26 – PCSO detectives obtained arrest warrants charging all five with robbery, which is upgraded to a first degree felony due to their gang status.”
All five men are Venezuelan nationals who are in the U.S. illegally, PCSO confirmed.
Two of the suspects, Alexis Benavides and Samuel Charle, are known members of Tren de Aragua, while the other three are described as “gang associates.”
The suspects have been linked to more than 35 retail thefts across central Florida during which they stole over $30,000 in merchandise.
The Venezuelans have extensive criminal histories in the U.S. that include charges and convictions for immigration violations, thefts, robbery, drug possession, resisting arrest, fraudulent use of and possession of personal identification, false reports to law enforcement, robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence (listed as armed and dangerous), and driver’s license offenses, PCSO says.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged detainers against all five suspects and the Department of Homeland Security is participating in the ongoing investigation.
InfoWars frequently reports on the nefarious activities of Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration recently designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
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