In a significant crackdown on international gang activity, the Denver Police Department has announced the indictment of two believed ringleaders of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. According to a social media post by the Denver Police Department, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado brought down multiple charges on Brawins Dominique Suarez Villegas, known as "Chino San Vicente," and Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, also known as both "Jovani San Vicente" and "El Viejo," for their involvement in a series of crimes, including a RICO conspiracy.
The federal grand jury's indictment suggests that from May 2024 through March 2025, Suarez Villegas and Mosquera Serrano engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity. This covered a gamut of criminal conduct such as robbery, extortion, kidnapping, and money laundering. The duo is also facing repercussions for conspiracy to commit robbery and two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery, in relation to the armed robberies of two Denver-based jewelry stores in June 2024.
In connection with these cases, another defendant, Newman Castillo-Delgado, was recently sentenced to 240 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges that included Hobbs Act Robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence linked to the robbery of Joyeria El Ruby. As per the Denver Police Department's release, the violent incident resulted in employees being brutalized and a significant haul of nearly $4 million in jewelry and gold.
Additional charges against Suarez Villegas related to a disturbing case of kidnapping, cyberstalking, and a firearms offense have been filed concerning an October 2024 event in Denver, Colorado, where the victim was reportedly kidnapped, held for ransom, tortured, and disfigured. Other individuals, whose cases are being handled separately, are facing federal charges in relation to this crime. The FBI Denver Field Office and Denver Police Department led the investigation, with support from Colombian authorities and the DEA's Bogota Country Office.
The recent indictments are just a part of broader efforts by the District of Colorado to combat Tren de Aragua's reach, with 30 individuals, including other gang leaders and members, already charged this year with severe offenses like drug trafficking and murder-for-hire. The United States Attorney's Office's Violent Crime and Immigration Enforcement Section, alongside members of Joint Task Force Vulcan, is managing the prosecutions. It's important to remember that these indictments remain accusations at this stage, and all defendants are legally presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, as outlined in the department's official communication.
