Two of three members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren De Aragua wanted for murder in Texas were arrested in Aurora over in last two months.
Homeland Security Investigations said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Denver arrested Carl Luis Zambrano-Bolivar, 26, and Jhonata Nahin Toro Gonzalez, 22, in Aurora on Sept. 26 for suspicion of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.
A third member, Ehiker Morales Mendoza, 38, was arrested by Homeland Security Las Cruces, the U.S. Marshal Service, and the U.S. Border Patrol on Oct. 11 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. A fourth member, Jhonny Jesus Martinez Serrano, 29, remains at large.
“Violent criminal organizations and transnational gangs like Tren de Aragua are a plague upon our communities that rely on fear and violence to reign terror on hardworking and law-abiding residents,” said Travis Pickard, Homeland Security Dallas acting Special Agent in Charge in a released statement. “By coming together as a law enforcement community to successfully locate and arrest these fugitives across state lines, we have sent a resounding message that we are united in our efforts to dismantle these violent criminal networks and put an end to the lawlessness that they spread.”
According to the Farmers Branch Police Department, in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, officers were notified by a passing motorist of a body in the roadway in the 1100 block of Valley View Lane on Aug. 24. They arrived on the scene to find the body of an adult male with a gunshot wound to the head. The person was later identified as Nilzult Ameaud Petit.
The detectives learned that Petit was an associate of the suspects and allegedly involved in a complex ATM theft operation targeting several locations nationwide. Petit was accused of withholding the stolen money from other group members. When the suspects confronted and demanded payment from him, Petit was either unwilling and or unable to come up with the money.
Read: Tren de Aragua in Aurora, explained in 5 minutes
Farmers Branch detectives traveled to Aurora to interview Bolivar and Gonzalez, who were in custody by ICE. It was later discovered that Petit was also a member of Tren de Aragua.
All three suspects are awaiting extradition to Texas to face prosecution.
Tren de Aragua’s presence in Colorado has been in the national discussion on current immigration issues and during the lead-up to Tuesday's presidential election. Many Republicans in Colorado, including former President and GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump, have claimed Aurora apartment complexes have been taken over by the gang.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, who is also a Republican, rebuked those claims.
