Venezuelan gang members accused of murder in Dallas area

Three Venezuelan men, all in the country illegally, were the latest to be arrested on capital murder and aggravated kidnapping charges believed to have taken place in Farmers Branch, a northwest suburb of Dallas.

Two suspects were arrested in Aurora, Colorado; one was arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico. All three are extradited to Texas. A fourth remains at large.

All five Venezuelan men are believed to be part of a nationwide ATM theft ring, the Farmers Branch Police Department announced this week.

The three who were arrested were charged with the capital murder of 33-year-old Nilzult Petit, a confirmed member of a TDA gang.

The arrests are related to Petit’s murder on August 24, 2024. Farmers Branch police officers found his body with a single gunshot wound to the head. FBPD and Lewisville PD officers also located two youths believed to be known to Petit who were found in the early morning hours of the same day walking on the I-35 service road in Lewisville.

Upon their recovery, officers learned that “Petit and the two juveniles were forcibly taken by multiple unknown suspects from an apartment complex on Fair Oaks Crossing in Dallas at approximately 12:30 p.m. The suspects drove Petit and the juveniles to the Farmers Branch location. , where Petit was later shot and killed. The suspects then fled the scene with the two juveniles in an open four-door sedan before releasing the juveniles, unharmed, on IH-35E service road,” FBPD said in a statement.

Through an extensive investigation, FBPD detectives were able to initially identify two suspects they believe to be Petit’s associates allegedly involved in a complex ATM theft operation targeting multiple locations across the country. After the last crime of ATM theft, “the suspects accused Petit of withholding portions of the stolen money” from the others in the theft ring. They reportedly confronted Petit and demanded payment, “which he was unwilling or unable to do. Petit and the two juveniles were then forcibly taken from their apartment complex, driven to the area of ​​Farmers Branch where he was executed execution-style, FBPD said.

The investigation led FBPD detectives to Aurora, Colorado, where they traveled in September to interview two suspects. They were already in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They were later charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping and await extradition to Texas.

Working with the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations, detectives were also able to identify a third suspect, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the ATM theft operation. On October 11, he was taken into custody in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on outstanding warrants for capital murder and aggravated kidnapping from Dallas County. He is currently awaiting extradition.

During the course of the investigation, detectives also confirmed that Petit and all of the suspects are affiliated with the TDA and that the crime is unrelated to any other investigation or criminal case in Farmers Branch.

A fourth suspect, 29-year-old Jhonny Jesus Martinez Serrano, remains at large. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to contact FBPD, including anonymously, at 972-919-1406 or (email protected).

The FBPD is actively working with numerous law enforcement agencies, which it says “have been instrumental in the investigation, search, pursuit and apprehension of capital murder suspects.”

Federal agencies involved in the case include DHS HSI; ICE; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; US Marshals Service; and the US Secret Service.

State agencies involved in the case include the Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center; Colorado Bureau of Investigation; Colorado State Police; and the South Dakota State Attorney’s Office. County agencies include Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Campbell County, Wyoming; Meade County, South Dakota; Dona Ana County, New Mexico; and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.

City agencies include the Dallas Police Department; Aurora Police Department; Gillette, Wyoming, Police Department; Middleburg Heights, Ohio, Police Department; Belle Fourche, South Dakota Police Department; Oklahoma City Police Department; Lawton, Oklahoma, Police Department; Irving Police Department; Greenville Police Department; and the Carrollton Police Department.

The multi-agency operation was underway under Governor Greg Abbott launch an initiative to crack down on TDA crimes that exploded under the Biden-Harris administration. It also designated TDA as a foreign terrorist organization.

Texas DPS is too offerings up to $5,000 in rewards for information leading to the arrest of TDA gang members. DPS and city law enforcement operations continue to successfully target TDA crime in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, The Center Square reported.

The news comes as more than a million Venezuelans have been reported to have entered the country illegally under the Biden-Harris administration, exclusively in Center Square. reported.