A man believed to be involved in trafficking weapons for the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has been charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in Texas. Eiber Gabriel Sira-Vargas, 29, is currently held at the Bexar County Jail on a $2 million bail following the tragic death of 18-year-old Alexis Jose Vegas, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds in July on the side of a highway in San Antonio.
Sira-Vargas, who was previously detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is suspected of weapons trafficking linked to Tren de Aragua. Investigators were led to Sira-Vargas while probing an alleged robbery incident.
According to sources, an unidentified individual reported being at an apartment with Vegas and another person on July 1 when three armed suspects forcibly entered. The victims were then zip-tied and taken to a grassy area along U.S. 281, where Sira-Vargas and another gunman opened fire on them after ordering them out of the vehicle.
The unidentified witness mentioned that he feigned death after being wounded until the assailants departed from the scene. Tren de Aragua, known for its involvement in heinous crimes such as murders, rapes, extortion, and kidnappings, originated in the Tocoron prison in Venezuela's Aragua state between 2013 and 2015.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott disclosed that Tren de Aragua has been active in Texas since at least 2021, with gang affiliates previously arrested for human trafficking. In September, the governor labeled TdA as a 'foreign terrorist organization' and initiated a statewide operation to combat the gang's activities.
