DENVER, CO — Federal prosecutors unsealed two indictments Monday charging 30 people — including alleged leaders of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua — in a sweeping investigation targeting drug trafficking, firearms crimes, and murder-for-hire plots tied to cartel-style violence in Colorado and beyond.
The indictments, announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, follow a nine-month investigation that began with a spike in shootings and drug activity at a Denver-area apartment complex. Officials say it led to a broader crackdown on the U.S. branch of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a foreign terrorist organization designated in February.
The 39-count indictment charges 28 individuals in the U.S. with firearms trafficking, illegal possession of firearms by undocumented immigrants, and distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine, and “Tusi”—a synthetic street drug associated with Venezuelan criminal organizations. Five defendants are also charged with conspiring to commit murder-for-hire.
ATF agents recovered 69 firearms during the investigation, including automatic weapons tied to local carjackings, robberies, and drive-by shootings in Denver and Aurora.
A separate indictment charges Luis Fernando Uribe-Torrealba and Luis Henriquez-Charaima — both 29 — with firearms trafficking, drug conspiracy, carjacking, and a murder-for-hire plot. Both were arrested in Colombia on July 30 and remain in custody pending extradition proceedings.
Of the 28 domestic defendants, 24 are already in federal custody. Authorities say many of the accused are undocumented and have suspected ties to TdA, a transnational criminal organization linked to violent crimes across Latin America.
The investigation, part of the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America, included joint efforts from ATF, DEA, HSI, ICE, and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies, with key assistance from Colombian National Police and the GAULA Elite anti-extortion unit.
Federal officials said this operation represents one of the largest actions yet against Tren de Aragua, which is now a primary focus of the Justice Department’s Joint Task Force Vulcan — the same task force initially formed to eradicate MS-13.
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Key Points
- 30 defendants charged in Colorado, including Tren de Aragua members and leaders, in drug and murder-for-hire case
- Indictments stem from nine-month probe into gang-linked crime spike at Denver apartment complex
- Two suspects arrested in Colombia face extradition; 69 firearms recovered, many tied to violent crimes
Federal crackdown hits violent Venezuelan gang as dozens charged in Colorado cartel probe
