Aurora police link 10 to Venezuelan gang amid outcry; 6 in custody

Aurora police on Wednesday released the first details about the extent of a Venezuelan gang presence in the city, amid ongoing social media outrage over the issue.

Police have identified 10 people with ties to the Tren de Aragua gang that operates in Aurora. Six of them have been arrested and remain in custody, Aurora police spokesman Joe Moylan told The Denver Post.

No details are yet available about the identities of the 10 individuals and the nature of the charges against all six arrested, although some of them are being held in connection with a previously reported shooting on Nome Street in July.

According to Moylan, officers have not arrested any gang members for collecting rent from residents of three properties in Aurora owned by CBZ Property Management.

The properties were at the center of the conversation about the Venezuelan gang in Aurora, when CBZ Property Management claimed the unliveable conditions in its properties were the result of criminal activities by members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and other city officials echoed the company’s claim, suggesting the apartment complexes were “owned” by the gang. The claim was subsequently amplified by local and national media, and fueled by a viral video showing men with guns knocking on a door at the apartment complex.

Other Aurora officials — and residents of the properties — have said the unlivable conditions at the company’s properties are longstanding and the result of the company’s mismanagement, rather than an overwhelming gang presence. Aurora’s interim police chief said Friday that gangs had not “taken over” any of the complexes.

Aurora has a population of about 400,000. A gang survey last year found that there are 36 different gangs with a total of 1,355 members. That is about 0.34% of the city’s total population.

The 10 identified individuals linked to Tren de Aragua represent less than 1% of the identified gang members in Aurora. However, Moylan said agents expect the number of documented Tren de Aragua members to increase as the investigation into the gang continues.

“Every day we learn more about TdA, how it works, and how to identify suspicious members,” he said. “…It is too early to quantify the presence of TdA in Aurora one way or another.”

Aurora police have investigated “numerous claims and allegations” of gang members collecting rent from residents of the properties, but “have not yet established probable cause or made any arrests,” Moylan said.

Moylan declined to comment on how many criminal acts involving Tren de Aragua members were currently being investigated, citing ongoing investigative work. He said police have been investigating the gang for a year and that residents who file complaints about the gang’s activities are largely migrants who live in the buildings.