AURORA, Colo. — Law enforcement is making progress against the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, in the Denver metro area. The city of Aurora said in a statement last week there is a small TdA presence in Aurora, and they are working to make arrests.
APD has arrested 10 people city-wide connected to TdA, according to a department spokesperson. The department is working to confirm to 9NEWS how many of those arrests are associated with incidents at apartment complexes in Aurora.
9NEWS looked at some cases against members of TdA in Adams and Arapahoe Counties to learn what previous arrests show about their criminal activity here.
There's no question there are members of a Venezuelan gang in Aurora. Some of them lived at an apartment complex at Colfax Avenue and Nome Street.
One of those arrests at the complex on Nome Street was of Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirino. Officers arrested the 22-year-old in March 2024 for first-degree assault. Court documents said a witness called 911 to tell police someone beat a man with a bottle, and the victim was bleeding to death. The witness said the man was arguing with a group of men who claimed, "they run this place."
Conservative City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has made claims before that the Venezuelan gang TdA is taking over buildings in the city.
"The three of us believe that there is a gang problem, a huge gang problem, that apartment complexes and areas of our city are being taken over," she said at an Aurora city council committee meeting on Aug. 8.
Conservative outlets and some politicians have said members of TdA are taking over buildings. Aurora Police said that is not true.
The city of Aurora said they did not shut down the buildings on Nome and Colfax for gangs but instead for bad living conditions that dated back years. Just before that happened in August, Aurora Police responded to the apartment complex after reports of a shooting. Two adult males were shot and a third adult male broke an ankle, according to the department.
Aurora Police arrested four people in July in connection with that investigation, including Pacheco-Chirino. As of Aug. 30, charges against him were pending. Pacheco-Chirino's brother, 24, was also arrested. On Wednesday, APD said the brothers are documented TdA members. His brother was arrested for attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, illegal discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment. Two other men were each arrested on a charge of tampering with physical evidence. APD said these two have gang ties and are suspected to be members of TdA.
There's now a focus on a different apartment complex in Aurora owned by the same company after a video surfaced last week showing people carrying guns inside.
Tenants at apartments near Dallas and Helena Streets told 9NEWS on Tuesday their biggest problem is not gangs. It's the landlord.
"But I haven't seen anyone invading anywhere. I haven't seen anyone being charged rent, and in reality, I haven't seen that," said Carlos Rodriguez through a 9NEWS translator.
Aurora's Mayor Mike Coffman, who has shared multiple opinions on this, posted on Facebook Wednesday that he wasn't sure "where the truth is in all of this". He wrote the apartment owner, CBZ Management, reported the control of the apartment buildings was lost to a Venezuelan gang, and the proper managers were forced out after threats and intimidation gave gang members control over both apartment complexes.
He also said none of the tenants he spoke to on Tuesday expressed concern for their safety, nor did they say they were being forced to pay rent to a third party.
Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said they arrested some TdA members for drug charges. 9NEWS can't independently confirm that because they won't share names.