FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted a series of major FBI arrests and law enforcement operations during remarks at the bureau’s Wall of Honor event for National Police Week, including actions targeting the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Patel said federal agents arrested more than 25 alleged members of Tren de Aragua during operations conducted through Joint Task Force Vulcan.
According to Patel, authorities also seized approximately 80 firearms, 18 kilograms of narcotics and more than $100,000 in cash during the operation targeting the gang.
“We worked to crush this terrorist-designated organization,” Patel said while discussing the arrests and seizures tied to the investigation.
Patel also announced that FBI Houston extradited Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, whom he described as the highest-ranking member of Tren de Aragua ever brought into US custody.
The FBI director also detailed multiple unrelated criminal cases involving foreign influence, fraud, kidnapping and child exploitation investigations handled by field offices around the country.
According to Patel, FBI Los Angeles helped secure charges against Eileen Wang for allegedly acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China.
“She worked to promote pro-PRC propaganda and influence activities in our country,” Patel said while discussing the federal charges against Wang.
Patel also said FBI San Diego secured a guilty plea from a Philippine citizen accused of participating in a nationwide $48 million publishing scam targeting hundreds of victims, many of them elderly Americans.
In another major case, Patel said FBI Baltimore announced criminal charges against two foreign operators and the technical superintendent of the cargo ship involved in the 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
The bridge collapse killed six construction workers after the massive cargo vessel struck the structure in Baltimore Harbor.
Patel also said FBI Boston charged two men with interstate kidnapping after authorities alleged they abducted a woman, transported her across state lines and held her for ransom, per the Conservative Brief.
The FBI director additionally highlighted several child exploitation and online predator cases investigated by various bureau offices across the country.
According to Patel, a former US Navy officer pleaded guilty in a case handled by FBI New York involving attempted enticement of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material.
Patel said FBI Seattle helped secure a 25-year prison sentence for a defendant convicted of soliciting sex online through responses to babysitting advertisements posted by minors.
He also credited FBI Albany’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with helping obtain an 80-year sentence against a Pennsylvania man accused of abusing multiple children across several states.
The remarks come as Patel continues facing scrutiny following reports questioning his leadership and allegations involving alcohol use that he has repeatedly denied.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently defended Patel and said he remains a critical part of the Trump administration’s law enforcement agenda.
Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino also dismissed recent media reports targeting Patel and suggested additional information regarding the controversy could emerge in the coming months.
