Aurora police confirm arrest of potentially key Venezuelan gang member

A potentially key figure in the Venezuelan gang operating in the Denver metro area has already been in and out of jail this year in connection to a shooting and a separate beating of a man at an apartment complex in Aurora.

On Friday night, the Aurora police confirmed that officers have arrested Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirino twice and that he is a "documented member of Tren de Aragua (TdA)."

The Aurora police said authorities are "not aware of his status within the gang," likely a reference to reports that Pacheco-Chirino — also known as "Galeto" or "Cookie" — is the ringleader or "shot caller" of the Venezuelan gang.

The police said Pacheco-Chirino is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which means he is staying in the country illegally.

This is the first time that the Aurora police officially confirmed local authorities had a TdA gang member in custody.

Pacheco-Chirino, along with three other men, was arrested for a shooting incident on July 28 at The Aspen Grove Apartments at 1568 Nome Street in Aurora. That's the same complex that the city shut down a few weeks ago.

That shooting left two men wounded, one of them critically. Another person suffered from a broken ankle, the police said.

At the time, the police didn't say if Pacheco-Chirino or the other men had any gang affiliations. One of those men is thought to be his brother, who has a similar name — Jhonnarty DeJesus Pacheco, 24.

Pacheco-Chirino, 22, is set to appear in court on Sept. 25 in Adams County.

A few days after his arrest, city officials rejected claims by the apartment property owner that threats to staffers and residents from a Venezuelan gang had precluded it from doing its work at the Aspen Grove apartments. At the time, officials called the claim an "alternative narrative" to numerous code violations and the poor condition of the building, which they said had plagued the Aspen Grove and which compelled them to shut down the complex and evict dozens of families.

CBZ Management, which is based in New York, had pushed back, saying that it was too dangerous to operate because of the threat from gang activity.

On Thursday, Mayor Mike Coffman admitted that immigrant gangs have, indeed, taken over at least two other apartment complexes in Aurora.

"We have made arrests," the mayor said. "More arrests will be made."

Coffman also admitted that the city "lost control" of the gang infiltration.

"We're working aggressively to get it back," he said.

The July incident was not the first time that police had arrested Pacheco-Chirino.

In November of last year, a man was beaten so badly in the same apartment complex that he suffered a traumatic brain injury and almost died. Aurora police were called to the complex on Nov. 12 at around 2 a.m. on a complaint of disturbance and shots fired, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by The Denver Gazette.

The police arrested Pacheco-Chirino in March for that aggravated assault incident.

He was released on a $20,000 bond in April, court records show.

Three months later, he was arrested for again when Aurora police took him in for a shooting, again at the Aspen Grove property.

The other men arrested for the July 28 shooting were Jhonnarty DeJesus Pacheco, presumably the brother of Pacheco-Chirino, who faced charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, illegal discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment; Nixon Jose Azuaje-Perez, 19, who faced one charge of tampering with physical evidence; and, Dixon J. Azuaje-Perez, 20, who faced one charge of tampering with physical evidence.

The other two men arrested in the July 28 shooting also appear to be brothers. The suspects' preliminary hearings are scheduled for early September also in Adams County.

"In the coming days, we will provide a more comprehensive, public update with additional, accurate information about this criminal group and its affiliates," the Aurora police said on its X account.

"Officers have been consistently monitoring areas of concern. We understand the distress our community is feeling, and we want to provide reassurance that we are committed to keeping our community safe and putting criminals in jail," the police said.

The police did not indicate whether Nixon Jose Azuaje-Perez, Dixon Jose Azuaje-Perez were members of TdA.

John Fabbricatore, a former Denver region ICE field office director, suspected that its possible the four men gave fake names when they crossed the border.

"Sometimes, they give the name that first comes to mind and that could be someone from their village," he said.