Federal authorities have charged 30 individuals, including alleged leaders and members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) organization, with offenses related to drug trafficking, murder-for-hire, and firearms crimes. The indictments follow a nine-month investigation into criminal activity at an apartment complex in the Denver area that had seen increased violence and drug-related incidents.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, TdA is designated as a foreign terrorist organization and has been associated with violent acts such as murder, kidnapping, extortion, and both human and drug trafficking. Many members reportedly entered the United States unlawfully and have brought their activities into communities in Colorado.
The main indictment charges 28 people with various crimes including firearms trafficking; using firearms during drug trafficking; possession of firearms by illegal aliens; and distributing controlled substances like methamphetamine, cocaine, and “Tusi,” a pink narcotic originating from Venezuela that contains multiple illicit drugs such as ketamine, methamphetamine, and MDMA (Ecstasy). Five defendants are also accused of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Authorities recovered 69 firearms during the operation—some linked to shootings in Denver and Aurora involving carjackings, robberies, and drive-by shootings.
A separate indictment names Luis Fernando Uribe-Torrealba and Luis Henriquez-Charaima on six counts including firearm trafficking conspiracy, controlled substance trafficking conspiracy, carjacking, and murder-for-hire conspiracy. Colombian police arrested both men on July 30 after a provisional arrest warrant was issued by U.S. authorities; they remain detained in Colombia pending extradition proceedings.
Of those indicted in the United States, 24 are currently held in federal custody.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) led the investigation with support from agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, local law enforcement agencies from Arapahoe County as well as Aurora and Denver Police Departments. Colombian National Police units also assisted along with U.S. Department of Justice offices based in Bogotá.
Prosecution is being handled by the Violent Crime and Immigration Enforcement Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado alongside Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV). JTFV was established in 2019 initially to target MS-13 but now includes efforts against Tren de Aragua across several districts nationwide through collaboration among federal prosecutors’ offices—including those in New York, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana—and national divisions such as DOJ’s National Security Division.
This case forms part of Operation Take Back America—a broad Justice Department initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration while dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated resources from Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In February 2025 TdA was officially listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
“The charges contained in the indictments are merely accusations,” stated officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado. “The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
Case Numbers: 25-cr-0063-SKC; 25-cr-233-RMR; 25-mj-114-KAS.
