Colorado: Authorities create task force to tackle Tren de Aragua
The strategy is being carried out in partnership with federal agencies and was initiated due to suspicions that the criminal group has been operating for months in the Denver metropolitan area.
Colorado authorities announced the creation of a special task force aimed at identifying and arresting members of the feared Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The strategy will be done in alliance with federal authorities and was initiated due to suspicions that the criminal group has been operating in the Denver metropolitan area for months.
"Since the beginning of the month, police departments in Colorado's main cities have been on alert for possible threats against uniformed officers in that state by the international criminal organization that began to gain influence in the United States," reported EFE.
According to local media such as Sentinel Colorado, residents of cities such as Aurora have claimed there has been an increase in crime in the area. In that regard, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman explained that this task force has already been working to address the situation and that the next step will be to connect with the community and learn from them.
"We’re also aggressively, you know, having presence in these pockets where there’s concentrations of Venezuelan migrants, to be able to try to ourselves, or at least our law enforcement personnel at the local, state and federal levels, to identify who these bad actors are and get them off the street," Coffman stated.
Similarly, EFE explained that "the new task force will be supported by the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network (RAVEN), under the federal government's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)."
The growing presence of the criminal group El Tren de Aragua in the United States has been reported for some time now. In fact, in New York City there was a wave of cell phone thefts committed by Venezuelan immigrants which set off alarms for authorities.
At that time, it became known that the notorious gang could be recruiting immigrants or extending its reach to the streets of the Big Apple to carry out its illegal operations in the United States.
In fact, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to VOZ in an e-mail that two Venezuelan immigrants arrested and charged for attacking two NYPD officers are members of the gang.
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