SAN ANTONIO – Andy Martinez says he was in bed at the Palatia Apartments on Sahara Street as law enforcement cleared nearly 300 vacant units Saturday morning.
“I’m asleep, and they’re just banging and banging - and I mean loud,” Martinez said.
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Martinez recalls seeing multiple law enforcement agencies. The multi-agency operation came after several complaints of human trafficking and drug violations.
The operation ended with 19 people arrested and 15 of them being detained by officials with Homeland Security Investigations.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” San Antonio police chief William McManus said. “Even though we finished here at the complex, we are not done. This investigation has been in the works for weeks.”
SAPD confirmed that four of the people arrested are members of the Venezuelan gang called ‘Tren de Aragua,’ also known as TDA.
TDA is a transnational gang that is involved in human smuggling, kidnapping, extortion, and drug trafficking, according to authorities.
The gang has expanded across the United States, including New York, Colorado, and Texas.
Martinez said he lived above some of the people who were arrested for months.
“There’s a lot of Venezuelans that sell drugs and a whole lot of whatever, and they don’t care,” Martinez said.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar also spoke on the gang’s presence just days before these arrests.
“We are aware that Tren de Aragua, much like the Mexican drug cartels, are all operating here within Bexar County,” Salazar said. “That’s one of the main reasons that several years back, we established organized crime groups, knowing that these sorts of things were occurring. Fairly recently, we actually split off a team from that organized crime group to concentrate solely upon transnational criminal organizations because of organizations like Tren de Aragua.”
McManus said there is no threat to the public but that the department’s work is not done.
“We are onto you, and we’re coming for you,” McManus said. “We know where you are, and we’re coming for you.”
KSAT visited the Palatia Apartment Homes’ office on Saturday. The office is open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, a sign on the door said the office was closed for an emergency until Monday, Oct. 7.