Venezuela 's largest criminal gang, Tren de Aragua , is wreaking havoc in Colorado, driving national attention.
The group revolutionized crime in Venezuela and across Latin America, in the words of author Ronna Risquez , running the country from prisons and extending its reach across the Western Hemisphere. In several areas, the gang has taken complete control, usurping government authority.
One unique feature of the group is its origins as a prison gang — the entire gang was run out of the Tocoron prison, which, prior to its storming by the Venezuelan army in 2023, had been turned into a luxury palace replete with swimming pools, a baseball field, and a zoo. Before the raids, more than half of the country's prisons were controlled by gangs, the New York Times reported.
The leader of Tren de Aragua, Héctor “El Niño” Guerrero Flores, escaped the prison before the storming and is still on the loose. The Department of State and the Department of Justice are offering up to $5 million for information regarding his whereabouts. He is believed to reside somewhere in Colombia.
While in prison, Guerrero Flores extended the gang's reach across the continent, recently expanding into North America and the United States.
The New York Post reported that the gang has been linked to more than 100 crimes across the U.S. Among the litany of crimes the group is known for are human trafficking, sex trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, drug dealing, murder, money laundering, contract killings, smuggling, and other types of theft.
One of the group's tentacles extended to Aurora, Colorado, where the gang is making its presence known.
A security video from a neighbor showed a group of gang members with rifles walking around an apartment.
"This is organized. They patrol the property with guns visibly, like they're not trying to hide them. There's no repercussion. These are ghosts," one Aurora resident told Fox News Digital.
Part of the reason for Tren de Aragua's expansion into the U.S. is the deteriorating conditions in Venezuela. The collapse of the economy has so impoverished the country that the gangs are forced to search for opportunities elsewhere, according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory.
“Crime is falling in Venezuela because of the destruction of the country’s economy ... because of the loss of opportunities for crime,” OVV Director Roberto Briceño-León told InSight Crime.
The gang has taken advantage of the resulting refugee crisis, infiltrating the migrants to extend their reach to the surrounding countries and, more recently, the U.S.
Despite the documented instances of Tren de Aragua's presence in Aurora, the Aurora Police Department insists that reports are isolated.
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"Based on our initial investigative work, we believe reports of TdA influence in Aurora are isolated," a statement from the department read. "We urge all community members, including members of our migrant communities, to please report crimes committed against them to their local law enforcement agencies and not remain silent victims."
The group has taken advantage of the border crisis, using the chaos to send members into the U.S. It gained headlines after two of its reported members, illegal immigrants, allegedly murdered Georgia nursing student Laken Riley while on a jog in February.
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