7 arrested in connection to Denver drug, gun and sex trafficking operation
DENVER — Federal prosecutors believe they’ve broken up part of a drug, gun and sex trafficking operation run, for at least a few months, out of a Denver apartment complex and led by notorious Venezuelan-born gang Tren de Aragua.
At least a few of the seven arrested in two states this week, federal investigators believe, have ties to the TdA.
9NEWS Investigates reviewed the details of a criminal complaint just filed in U.S. District Court. The complaint names only one of the seven people arrested. Jose Manuel Guerra-Caballero, 36, was arrested in Indiana on Wednesday. Six others were arrested in Colorado the same day.
The complaint outlines a series of gun purchases initiated by a confidential informant starting in November of last year at the Ivy Crossing Apartments at East Harvard Avenue and Quebec Street in southeast Denver.
Undercover agents went on to buy at least eight guns from the suspects during five separate purchases, the complaint says. The most recent purchase took place a week ago.
On at least one occasion, the suspects offered and sold “Tusi” during the transactions, documents say. Tusi is also known as “pink cocaine.”
Court documents say Guerra-Caballero is affiliated with the TdA gang. Undercover agents reported Guerra-Caballero “explained that he could provide females to the [undercover officers] for parties, and further stated that the [undercover officers] could do whatever they wanted with females after they purchased them.”
At one point the officers say they discussed bringing women with them to Wyoming to “provide sexual services to the oil field workers,” the complaint says.
The investigation culminated with an ATF-backed sting operation Wednesday when undercover officers initiated a fake purchase of 10 pounds of meth at an undisclosed location in Colorado.
That same day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says federal officers arrested Guerra-Caballero in Indiana.