FBI: Venezuelan gang members difficult to track in Denver

A violent Venezuelan street gang is operating in Denver and Aurora, but is highly mobile and often relocates if it comes under law enforcement scrutiny, according to an FBI investigation into the presence of the group in Colorado.

In his latest newsletter to constituents, Colorado Springs Congressman Doug Lamborn (R) shared a report he recently received from the FBI Denver Field Office regarding Tren de Aragua (TdA), a violent Venezuelan gang that briefly became a focus of Donald Trump's campaign for president.

Agents found that the gang has taken advantage of migrant flows to covertly expand into new territories, but maintains a low profile to avoid detection, making members harder to track.

According to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Denver has received over 40,000 Venezuelan migrants, making up approximately 5.6% of the city's population.

The gang made headlines in September after several videos were released allegedly showing members with guns terrorizing tenants of the Whispering Pines apartment complex in Aurora.

According to the FBI report, the property's management had been absent and rent collection had not happened for two months unless paid online.

Agents found that TdA typically preys on vulnerable migrant communities by engaging in migrant-on-migrant crime, with their primary activities in the U.S. involving robberies and vehicle thefts.

However, the report noted ongoing debate about the extent of their involvement in other illicit activities such as drug distribution, particularly fentanyl.

There are currently no open law enforcement investigations in Colorado Springs related to TdA, according to the report, but it also didn't rule out the possibility of the gang's presence there.

In the newsletter, Lamborn thanked the Denver office for its dedication, and taking the time to brief his staff on this pressing issue.