A member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has been arrested in Hamilton County as a result of law enforcement investigating a human trafficking operation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced Monday.
The gang member, 30-year-old Adelvis Rodriguez-Carmona, was among four individuals arrested as a result of a joint investigation with the intent to disrupt the work of human sex traffickers in the Hamilton County area.
JUST ANNOUNCED: A joint investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Chattanooga Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations has led to the arrest of four individuals.https://t.co/PVPFplVcBL
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) November 25, 2024
The investigation, led by TBI, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Chattanooga Police Department, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, resulted in the arrest of Rodriguez-Carmona (pictured above), 29-year-old Wilimar Herrera Guedez, 26-year-old Rebeca De Los Juarez Lucena, and 29-year old Yidalbris Marcano Salas.
The four individuals were encountered by law enforcement at a local hotel in Hamilton County, where they were confirmed to be engaged in an illegal sex operation, TBI said.
Guedez and Lucena were both charged with one count of Prostitution while Salas was charged with one count of Prostitution, one count of Possession of Marijuana for Resale, one count of Possession of Xanax for Resale, one count of Possession of Crack Cocaine for Resale, and one count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
Rodriguez-Carmona was charged with one count of Patronizing Prostitution, one count of Possession of Marijuana for Resale, one count of Possession of Xanax for Resale, one count of Possession of Crack Cocaine for Resale, and one count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
As of Monday afternoon, Rodriguez-Carmona remained in custody at the Hamilton County Jail on a $125,000 bond.
In addition to his alleged crimes in Tennessee, Rodriguez-Carmona is also suspected of committing violent crimes in Chicago and New York City, TBI added.
Tren de Aragua, the largest criminal organization in Venezuela, is the same gang that allegedly took over an apartment complex in Colorado.
Earlier this month, TBI publicly revealed that the violent Venezuelan gang is present in all of Tennessee’s “major cities” and warned the group is engaged in human trafficking, organized retail theft, and drug trafficking nationwide.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
