Tren De Aragua Gang Member In Joliet, 'He Is From Venezuela': Prosecutors Tell Judge

JOLIET, IL — The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow used the Illinois SAFE-T-Act to keep 26-year-old Tren de Aragua gang member Luis Perez Hidalgo in the Will County Jail after last week's arrest by Joliet police and the ATF on charges of possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, court records show.

Undercover ATF agents and Joliet police officers arranged for a buy/bust involving guns on July 31 at a secretive location in Will County. Multiple people arrived in three different vehicles and "they were identified as Tren de Aragua gang members and had tattoos consistent with the gang affiliation," the petition to deny pretrial release indicated.

Perez-Hidalgo was one of the passengers in a Mazda vehicle that had New Jersey license plates, and his wallet and driver's license were recovered by police in the center console. The Mazda had a federal government hold on it and was subsequently seized by Joliet police and the ATF, court files show.

As for Perez-Hidalgo, he had eight clear baggies with his wallet and "he admitted were his. He stated he purchased the MDMA, "'tusi,' last night in three bags for $180," prosecutors revealed. During the July 31 arrest, there were eight baggies weighing 14.9 grams that tested positive for MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy.

Tusi is a term for ketamine mixed with ecstasy, prosecutors pointed out.

Meanwhile, Perez-Hidalgo, who lives in Chicago, was already on pretrial release for a delivery of ketamine and domestic battery criminal case in Cook County. Conditions of his release indicated he has an ankle monitor.

"He is from Venezuela and does not have significant ties to the community. He has a driver's license number but no Social Security number in his criminal history check," prosecutors highlighted. "The people pray that this honorable court deny the defendant pretrial release."

Court documents indicate that Perez-Hidalgo met the dangerous standard and the willful flight standard under the SAFE-T-Act. His next hearing is set for Aug. 25 in Courtroom 405. Will County Judge Tom Slazyk handled the detention hearing.