Three Venezuelan men, all in the country illegally, were the latest to be arrested on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping believed to have occurred in Farmers Branch, a suburb northwest of Dallas.

Two suspects were arrested in Aurora, Colorado; one was arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico. All three are being extradited to Texas. A fourth remains at large.

The five Venezuelans are believed to be part of a nationwide ATM theft ring, Farmers Branch Police Department. announced this week.

The three arrested were charged with the capital murder of Nilzult Petit, 33, also a confirmed member of the TDA gang.

The arrests are related to Petit’s murder on August 24, 2024. Farmers Branch police officers found his body with a single gunshot wound to the head. FBPD and Lewisville PD officers also found two juveniles who Petit was believed to know and who were found in the early morning hours of the same day walking along the I-35 service road in Lewisville.

Upon recovering them, officers learned that “Petit and the two juveniles had been forcibly taken by several unknown suspects from an apartment complex in Fair Oaks Crossing in Dallas around 12:30 am. The suspects took Petit and the children to the location in Farmers Branch. , where Petit was later shot dead. “The suspects then fled the scene with the two juveniles in a light-colored four-door sedan before releasing them, unharmed, onto the IH-35E service road,” FBPD said in a statement.

Through an extensive investigation, FBPD detectives were initially able to identify two suspects they believe were associates of Petit allegedly involved in a complex ATM theft operation targeting multiple locations across the country. After the latest ATM theft crime, “the suspects accused Petit of withholding portions of the stolen money” from other members of the theft ring. They reportedly confronted Petit and demanded payment, “which he did not want or could not pay. Petit and the two minors were then forcibly removed from their apartment complex and taken to the Farmers Branch area where he was killed execution-style, FBPD said.

The investigation led FBPD detectives to Aurora, Colorado, where they traveled in September to interview two suspects. They were already in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They were later charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping and are awaiting extradition to Texas.

Working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, detectives were also able to identify a third suspect, believed to be the alleged mastermind of the ATM theft operation. On October 11, he was arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on outstanding warrants for capital murder and aggravated kidnapping out of Dallas County. He is also currently awaiting extradition.

Throughout the investigation, detectives also confirmed that Petit and all of the suspects are affiliated with the TDA and that the murder is not related to any other investigation or criminal case in Farmers Branch.

A fourth suspect, Jhonny Jesús Martínez Serrano, 29, remains at large. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is encouraged to contact FBPD, even anonymously, at 972-919-1406 or (email protected).

The FBPD is actively working with numerous law enforcement agencies, which it says “were instrumental in the investigation, search, tracking and apprehension of the capital murder suspects.”

Federal agencies involved in the case include DHS HSI; ICE; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; United States Marshals Service; and the United States Secret Service.

State agencies involved in the case include the Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center; Colorado Bureau of Investigation; Colorado State Police; and the South Dakota Attorney’s Office. County agencies include Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Campbell County, Wyoming; Meade County, South Dakota; Dona Ana County, New Mexico; and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.

City agencies include the Dallas Police Department; Aurora Police Department; Gillette, Wyoming, Police Department; Middleburg Heights, Ohio, Police Department; Belle Fourche, South Dakota Police Department; Oklahoma City Police Department; Lawton, Oklahoma, Police Department; Irving Police Department; Greenville Police Department; and the Carrollton Police Department.

The multi-agency operation was underway when Gov. Greg Abbott launched an initiative to end TDA crimes that have skyrocketed under the Biden-Harris administration. It also designated the TDA as a foreign terrorist organization.

The Texas DPS also offering up to $5,000 in rewards for information leading to the arrest of TDA gang members. DPS operations and city law enforcement continue to successfully target TDA crimes in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, The Center Square reported.

The news comes as more than one million Venezuelans have been reported to have entered the country illegally under the Biden-Harris administration, The Center Square exclusively. reported.