Migrant gangs reportedly took over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado. Video footage posted online showed a group of men brandishing heavy weapons, speaking Spanish, and knocking on apartment doors. Local councilor Danielle Jurinsky took to Twitter to issue a warning that the gang was “extorting” residents. Police, however, said there was no evidence of a “takeover” and that circumstances had returned to normal.
Neverthless, Cindy Romero, who used to live at the complex, subsequently told reporters that it was not an isolated incident. She said that residents were “on high alert” and she had previously reported similar incidents to the police who told her there was little they could do “unless something happened.”
Media reports indicate the group of men may be members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela. The federal government placed sanctions on the gang in June and designated it a transnational criminal outfit. Additionally, the State Department offered a $12 million reward for information leading to the capture of its leaders. A White House statement described the gang as a “deadly criminal threat,” while lawmakers warned that it is increasingly active inside the United States.
Tren de Aragua is primarily associated with human trafficking, extortion, smuggling, and money laundering and operates throughout South America. Law enforcement agencies essentially acknowledge individual crimes committed by members or associates in the US but say there is no evidence of widespread organized activity.
Individual instances include the shooting of New York cops in June, and the brutal murder of nursing student Laken Riley in Georgia. Authorities recently reported that two of Jose Ibarra’s brothers are known members of the gang, but his own status is unclear. Police arrested Ibarra, who entered the United States illegally, for murdering Riley as she jogged near a University of Georgia campus in March.
In New York City, Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, charged with shooting at two police officers, told attorneys that it was common practice for gang members to shoot at the police in Venezuela because they are so used to officers shooting at them. He insisted, however, that in his case, the gun went off accidentally.
