A high-ranking Tren de Aragua gang member who claims to be an asylum seeker, along with two other migrants donning what appeared to be high-end Ralph Lauren-branded teddy bear tops, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with trafficking an arsenal of guns across New York City.
It’s the latest case in a long list of migrant crime-related cases in the sanctuary city.
The three handcuffed Venezuelans were shuffled into the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, where they pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges, including conspiracy, criminal sale of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon.
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Prosecutors from Alvin Bragg’s Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said the weapons sold include semiautomatic pistols, shotguns, rifles and ghost guns.
One of the semi-automatic weapons was equipped with a “sear switch” to turn it automatic and many were sold with large ammunition-feeding devices to increase their capacity.
The defendants sold 11 guns between September 2024 and January 2025 on 10 separate occasions, according to court documents and statements made on the record in court, prosecutors said. The migrants are accused of sending information about the weapons over WhatsApp, including photos. The buyer would then come to the meet-up point and provide cash in exchange for the guns.
Stefano Pachon, 21, a high-ranking member of the Tren de Aragua gang, sold multiple loaded guns, prosecutors said, and some had illegal ammunition loading devices and one was a ghost gun.
He allegedly sold the weapons while out on a bench warrant and already had four arrests to his name.
Pachon, prosecutors said, acted as the ringleader and negotiated the purchase and price for most of the weapons. The sales occurred in multiple locations in the Bronx and at a gas station in East Harlem at East 125th Street and Second Avenue. He wore a red hoody in court.
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His attorney told the court that he is an asylum seeker from Venezuela and falls under certain protection, is of modest means and had a disability from a previous stabbing. His attorney noted that President Biden recently signed an order that provides protections for Venezuelans. He came to the U.S. in December 2023.
Judge Althea Drysdale responded by saying that just because the migrants come from Venezuela doesn’t make them asylum seekers.
Darwin Figuera, 34, and Yorman Serrano, 31, were also charged in the 31-count indictment. A fourth co-conspirator has also been charged in the indictment.
Serrano, dressed in a green fuzzy hoody with a “polo” teddy bear logo, has a previous conviction in Queens and was arrested in Connecticut for possessing a shoplifting device. Figuera, dressed in a cream sweater with teddy bear designs, came to the U.S. in October, while Serrano had been here since December 2023.
All three spoke via an interpreter.
The case stemmed in part from an investigation into Victor Parra, the ringleader of a cellphone snatching ring. Earlier this week, Parra pleaded guilty to two counts of grand larceny and is expected to be sentenced to two to six years in state prison. The evidence in that investigation contributed to the investigation of this gun trafficking conspiracy.
“These charges are a stark reminder that we must always remain vigilant against high-powered, illegal firearms and the dangerous gangs that would use them to hurt New York City families and communities,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement.
“The NYPD will always unflinchingly perform the heroic work required to prevent these weapons from getting into criminals’ hands, so that everyone in our city can live free from fear and violence.”
Bragg said gun violence is trending downward in Manhattan, but there is a lot more work to do.
“Selling illegal weapons in Manhattan is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Bragg said in a statement. “The scourge of gun violence takes a devastating toll on our communities, and I have met with far too many heartbroken families who have lost a loved one because of illegal firearms.”
The judge ordered Pachon to be held without bail, while Figuera was held on $50,000 cash bail and Serrano had his bail set at $50,000.
The guns confiscated included; four 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistols, each equipped with ammunition magazines; a Polymer80 9-millimeter semi-automatic ghost gun that had a magazine with the capacity for 34 rounds; a Smith & Wesson .38 special caliber revolver; a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun; a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber fully-automatic pistol that had a magazine with a capacity of 15 rounds; an American Tactical 5.56×45 millimeter semi-automatic rifle equipped with ammunition magazines; a Radical 5.56×45 millimeter semi-automatic pistol with ammunition magazines; and a Ruger semi-automatic pistol.
Fox News’ Kirill Clark contributed to this report.
