DENVER (KDVR) Thirty people, including several members of the Tren de Aragua gang, are facing federal drug trafficking, firearms offenses and murder-for-hire charges after a months-long undercover operation based out of a troubled Aurora apartment complex.

On Monday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly said 30 individuals, including gang members from a “designated foreign terrorist organization,” are facing several charges from two federal indictments.

A 39-count indictment charges 28 defendants with firearms trafficking, using firearms to commit drug trafficking crimes, possession of firearms and ammunition by illegal aliens and trafficking controlled substances, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and “Tusi” or pink powder that contains a variety of controlled substances like ketamine, methamphetamine and MDMA. Five of the defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.

Meanwhile, the other indictment charges Luis Fernando Uribe-Torrealba, 29, and Luis Henriquez-Charaima, 29, with conspiracy to traffic firearms, conspiracy to traffic controlled substances, carjacking and conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

Of the 28 defendants in the United States, the attorney’s office said 24 of them are in federal custody, while Uribe-Torrealba and Henriquez-Charaima are in custody in Colombia pending extradition proceedings.

McNeilly said among the people charged, there were three TdA leaders, two in Colombia and one in the indictment, while approximately five other members and plenty of associates were also charged. The attorney’s office said many of TdA’s members have unlawfully entered the United States and have been linked to murder, kidnapping, extortion and human and drug trafficking.

McNeilly said the people who offered to commit these murders were the same people who were committing crimes in the troubled Aurora apartment complexes, where several crimes have been reported for over a year.

Investigation started in Aurora apartments

The investigation first started about nine months ago when the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office asked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for help after seeing an uptick in violent crimes, according to McNeilly.

The attorney’s office said the investigation began watching criminal activity at an apartment complex that had an increase in violent crime and drug activity.

The Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain confirmed in a press conference that this took place at the Edge at Lowry, where they took over an area they could control and allegedly victimized immigrants who they came here with.

Chamberlain said they specifically chose this area because there was limited law enforcement pressure, they received stipends and there was no oversight in the apartments. Chamberlain said the apartments were “basically run by slumlords.” The Edge at Lowry has since closed.

“There was a time not too long ago when many people didn’t want to believe in TdA, but I’ll tell you, this team believes in it. This team knows it’s real and knows it poses a real danger to Colorado,” said McNeilly.

Investigation finds drugs, guns, ‘barbaric’ murder for hire plot

The investigation found firearms trafficking, drug trafficking and a “barbaric” murder for hire plot, said McNeilly, where several defendants allegedly agreed to kill two people for $15K and return severed heads as proof for an extra $5K.

The investigation seized 69 firearms, many of which the attorney’s office said have been linked to shootings in Denver and Aurora, including carjackings, robberies and drive-by shootings.

The Drug Enforcement Agency Rocky Mountain Division Special Agent in Charge David Olesky said multi-kilo quantities of tusi, as well as meth, fentanyl and cocaine were also found.

While McNeilly said the 30 suspects will be indicted in Colorado, ATF Special Agent in Charge for the Denver Field Division Brett Beavers said it was a transnational investigation involving cities like Chicago, Kansas City and Miami, as well as two international arrests made in Colombia.

Since the investigation and arrests, Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown said the community has seen a 75% reduction in calls for services between January and August 2025 compared to 2023 and 2024.

“I have a message specifically to TdA: We will not let you use Colorado as your headquarters for the United States. If you bring your dangerous crimes to Colorado, we will hunt you down and we will bring you to justice, we will go anywhere in the world to pursue you,” said McNeilly.

Joint Task Force Vulcan, which works with DAs nationwide, was involved in an undercover operation, leading to the biggest Tren de Aragua investigation, according to task force Deputy Director Jeremy Franker.

Homeland Security Investigations, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations the Denver Police Department, the Colombian National Police, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia helped with the investigation as well.

This was part of “Operation Take Back America,” according to the attorney’s office. The nationwide operation to “repel the invasion of illegal immigration,” and stop cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

McNeilly said the investigation is still ongoing, and their work isn’t done.