Two Tren de Aragua migrant gang members arrested in a drug raid at a New York City auto body shop were released without bail after Queens prosecutors reduced the charges.
According to the New York Post, Jose Tamaronis-Caldera, 27, and Richard Garcia, 33, were nabbed on felony drug and gun charges during the Feb. 5 raid at V&R Auto and Collision, along with shop owner Rafael Nieves, 54.
Once the case got to court, however, Queens prosecutors knocked down the migrants' charges to a misdemeanor count of possession of an air gun, which allowed them to go free without bail.
Nieves' drug and gun possession charges were also reduced, according to the Post, and he was released as well. The shop owner had reportedly been facing the most serious charges.
"These are not misguided individuals," a law enforcement source told the outlet. "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 [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] scouring our streets for detainees," the source added.
After crossing into the United States illegally in 2023, Tamaronis-Caldera and Garcia were reportedly released under former President Joe Biden's border policies, with the former telling immigration officials that he, his wife, and two children were supposed to be living in Durham, North Carolina. Garcia was supposed to be in Savannah, Georgia, Tamaronis-Caldera said.
The Post's immigration sources said that a deportation detainer has been placed on Garcia.
The two migrants were reportedly staying at the Roosevelt in Manhattan and the Crowne Plaza in Queens — two New York City hotels that have been converted into migrant shelters.
Initially charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all three suspects had their charges knocked down, despite the large stash of cocaine, .40-caliber Glock Gen 22, and more than $3,100 in cash that were seized in the raid.
A spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney's Office told the Post in an email on Tuesday that the charges in the criminal complaint are not eligible for bail under New York's criminal justice reform statutes.
"The DA's office reviews all evidence and charges as warranted," the spokesperson said. "In this case, the weapon charged against defendant Nieves is for an unloaded firearm."
"Our office asked for supervised release, and the judge granted supervised release," they said. "The charges against the other two defendants, Garcia and Tamaronis-Caldera, are for possession of an air-CO2 pistol and are not bail eligible."
The Empire State's bail reform laws have sparked controversy in the past, with critics saying they embolden criminals and lead to high levels of crime.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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