Landlord forced to sell Colorado apartment complex after it was taken over by Venezuelan migrant gang Tren De Aragua

A Colorado landlord has agreed to sell a struggling apartment complex that was taken over by the violent Venezuelan migrant gang Tren de Aragua.

Landlord Zev Baumgarten is feuding with the Denver suburb of Aurora over Aspen Grove after the city accused him of turning the area into a trash- and gang-infested hellhole, according to documents obtained by the Denver Gazette.

Baumgarten’s company has now agreed to sell, lease or find a “similar use” for the complex — which closed in August, displacing about 300 residents, the Gazette reported.

His company Nome Partners LLC must also pay for the cleanup of the site.

Baumgarten’s company blames the takeover by Tren de Aragua on the poor condition of Aspen Grove.

One investor told the Denver Post that police had been aware of the gang problem at Aspen Grove for nearly a year. The investor said the situation got so bad that workers left the site, causing trash to pile up and the building to fall into disrepair.

In June, attorneys for the landlords sent letters pleading with police and local officials for help, alleging that Tren de Aragua had “forcibly seized control” of Aspen Grove. The city eventually deemed the site a “criminal nuisance” and evicted the residents.

Last month, a video surfaced from an apartment complex showing an armed gang entering an apartment.

Then Baumgarten faced more than 80 building code violation charges, ranging from pest infestations to power outages.

While he blames gangs, prosecutors allege Baumgarten has faced similar charges related to another apartment building, which also closed in August and had code violations since 2020, according to local publication Westword.

That site was also overrun by migrant gang members, as was a third location in Aurora, a Denver suburb that resisted its neighboring city’s “sanctuary city” policy, which allowed more than 42,000 migrants into the city.

Now Aurora is suffering the consequences: residents are complaining about shootings and other criminal activity linked to Tren de Aragua.