Reputed migrant gang members busted in NYC drug, gun raid but likely to avoid prosecution

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Two suspected members of the violent Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang who live at New York City migrant shelters were busted in a gun and drug raid earlier this month – and have since been cut loose on lesser charges that may end without prosecution, according to police, court documents and the New York Post.

Police tell Fox News Digital that Jose Tamaronis-Caldera, 27, and Richard Garcia, 33, were arrested in the Feb. 5 raid on a Big Apple auto repair shop where a Glock handgun, two imitation pistols, and a large quantity of drugs were found. 

Both are reputed members of the Venezuelan migrant TdA gang, which has been terrorizing cities across the nation, the New York Post reports, citing sources. The NYPD was unable to confirm their purported gang membership to Fox News Digital. 

Jose Tamaronis-Caldera, 27, left, and Richard Garcia, 33, right.  (Provided by New York Post)

TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS ARRESTED IN NYC APARTMENT NEXT TO DAYCARE FACILITY

Rafael Nieves, 54, who prosecutors said is the auto shop’s owner, was also arrested. Police said the raid took place at V&R Auto and Collision in Woodside, Queens.

All three were hit with felony drug and gun charges, but documents reveal that Tamaronis-Caldera and Garcia faced lesser charges when the case went to court.  

Tamaronis-Caldera and Garcia are currently each charged with two misdemeanors; possession of an air pistol or air rifle and possession of an imitation firearm which let them walk without bail, prosecutors said.

Furthermore, the charges against Tamaronis-Caldera and Garcia will be dismissed after Aug. 5 if they do not commit further crimes as part of an adjournment in contemplation of compliance (ACD) issued by the judge, prosecutors said.

Nieves, who faced the most serious charges, had his drug and gun possession charges knocked down as well, with the new counts not eligible for bail. His new charges included criminal possession of a firearm and imitation handgun as well as criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree. 

The Queens DA’s office said the charges are not bail-eligible because the gun was unloaded and there was no ammo nearby. The DA’s office added that the drugs found on the premises were in an office area and consisted of cocaine and oxycodone pills. 

The raid took place at V&R Auto and Collision in Woodside, Queens. (Google Maps)

TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBER ARRESTED IN NYC WAS ‘TRYING TO BUY GRENADES,’ NOEM SAYS

“The DA’s office reviews all evidence and charges as warranted,” the Queens DA’s Office said in a statement. “In this case, the weapon charge against defendant Nieves is for an unloaded firearm and is not bail-eligible. Our office asked for supervised release and the judge granted supervised release.”

“The charges against the other two defendants, Garcia and Tamaronis-Caldera, are for possession of an air pistol and are not bail eligible.”

Police said that Tamaronis-Caldera and Nieves live at the Crowne Plaza JFK Airport hotel-turned-migrant shelter, while Garcia’s address was given as the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, which also operates as a migrant shelter.

Tamaronis-Caldera and Garcia crossed the U.S. border illegally in 2023, but were then released, federal immigration sources told the Post. Fox News has reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more information. 

Richard Garcia’s address was given as the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, which also operates as a migrant shelter. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

A law enforcement official was roiled that the trio are facing lesser charges.

“These are not misguided individuals,” the official told the Post. “They’re documented members of a known violent criminal enterprise, a gang who has planted their flag here by entrenching themselves in narcotics, gun and human trafficking — and the best we can do is let them out?”

“If we did our jobs with criminals, we wouldn’t have ICE scouring our streets for detainees.”

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Migrant-related crime spiked under the Biden administration amid unprecedented levels of border-crossers streaming into the country, mostly via Mexico.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News late last month that a TdA ringleader was busted in an immigration raid in the Bronx and was trying to buy grenades.

“He had just been a part of a gun weapons exchange and was trying to buy grenades,” Noem said. “Why would anybody in this country need to buy a grenade and go out and perpetuate violence?”

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.