They tortured him for ransom: Three Tren de Aragua members sentenced to 20 years in prison in Denver after brutal kidnapping

On the morning of October 17, 2024, a man arrived at a police station in Denver to report a kidnapping. While showing that his right pinky finger was missing, he told the officers that he had managed to escape from the house where his own roommates had kept him tied up for days, torturing him and recording the assaults to demand a ransom from his relatives in Venezuela.

The crime bore the hallmarks of members of the feared Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, a terrorist organization designated by the U.S., whose former leader, Héctor Rusthenford, alias "Niño Guerrero," was killed last June in a joint operation between the U.S. and Venezuela's interim authorities.

Now, three of those responsible for the kidnapping will each serve 20 years in federal prison. They are Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, Jefferson Balza-Delfin, and Yender Enrique Campos-Malave, all Venezuelans, as announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado. The sentencing of a fourth defendant was postponed.

“This is what Tren de Aragua was doing in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly when announcing the sentences, as reported by Fox News.

The captivity began when the victim's roommates discovered that both he and his father were police officers in Venezuela, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. They tied him up with a rope and left him without food and with very little water for several days.

The attacks were recorded by the kidnappers themselves. They strangled him until he nearly lost consciousness, submerged his head in a bucket of water, and hit him with a gun while threatening him. They then sent the videos to his wife to demand money from the family, in a practice known as "ransom."

According to prosecutors, the kidnappers also shared the recordings with international leaders of the Tren de Aragua, whom they consulted and asked for advice regarding the kidnapping. When the ransom didn't arrive, one of the kidnappers suggested cutting off one of his fingers. The victim heard them discussing the plan before Balza-Delfin amputated his little finger with a pair of pliers.

After that, the police came close to finding him on October 16. That day, officers went to the house on South Hazel Court in question after receiving a call reporting a kidnapping. They entered the premises and conducted a limited visual search, but the man was so afraid that he did not dare to make himself known, the District Attorney's Office explained.

After that visit, fearing they would be caught, three of the captors left the house. The victim seized the opportunity to flee and, the following morning, reported what had happened.

Denver police chief, Ron Thomas, praised his decision to go to the authorities:  “I applaud the victim of this heinous crime, and all victims, regardless of immigration status, for reporting criminal behaviors and helping us arrest those who prey on our community members.”

The case, as explained by Fox News, also involves Brawins Dominique Suarez Villegas, alias "Chino San Vicente." A federal grand jury separately indicted him for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and torture, in addition to other crimes linked to a broader operation by the Tren de Aragua. However, his sentencing has been postponed.