NEW YORK, NY — They’re here. Tren de Aragua, the notorious and violent Venezuelan gang is operating in New York and New Jersey, thanks to those states’ sanctuary state status. Now, two members of the gang who participated in the nationally televised Aurora, Colorado apartment home invasion have been captured in New York City.
Two members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, linked to a violent apartment invasion in Aurora, Colorado, were arrested in the Bronx on Wednesday as part of a sweeping drug and gun trafficking bust that netted 15 suspected members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, law enforcement sources said.
Denyeer Aramillo Meneses, 23, and Edison Pena Angulo, 25, were taken into custody during a pre-dawn raid led by the NYPD and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations. The operation, which followed a six-month investigation into gang-related narcotics and violence, uncovered an arsenal of weapons, including three assault rifles, two pistols, and ammo cans loaded with cartridges.
The duo is also wanted in Colorado for their alleged involvement in a brazen, caught-on-camera apartment invasion in Aurora on Aug. 18, in which a group of armed men stormed two units, threatened residents, and later fled the scene of a fatal shooting. Both Meneses and Angulo face charges of first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm in Colorado.
In New York, investigators said the gang ran a drug trafficking ring spanning from the Bronx to lower Manhattan, selling heroin, synthetic marijuana, and “Tussi,” a pink cocaine-like synthetic drug. The group also engaged in credit card fraud and violent crimes, sources said.
The arrests follow months of growing concern over the expansion of Tren de Aragua, a violent gang originating from Venezuela’s prison system. Members have been implicated in organized crime across multiple states, including drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and violent takeovers of apartment complexes, as seen in Aurora.
Meneses and Angulo’s federal charges in New York remain under seal, and details about their alleged offenses have not yet been made public.
This incident was first reported by the New York Post.