Eighteen people were arrested following a 13-month investigation into a criminal organization that investigators say touched 13 jurisdictions across the Denver metro area. The arrests came in two coordinated phases led by the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network, known as RAVEN.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation confirmed its role in the operation in a post on X, writing that CBI is part of the RAVEN task force that led to the 18 arrests and adding, “Always appreciate our partnership with other LEO agencies.” CBI post.
The underlying news release said the operation targeted 20 members of a local criminal organization allegedly responsible for more than 20 criminal episodes across a sprawling footprint that included Aurora, Bennett, Commerce City, Denver, Frederick, Firestone, Greeley, Parker, and parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas and Weld counties.
Charges Pile Up Across the Group
Charges Pile Up Across the Group The investigation led to charges in Denver District Court.
Two Separate Takedowns, One Sprawling Case
The operation unfolded in two phases.
The operation involved a coordinated law-enforcement effort.
Task Force Built to Erase Jurisdictional Lines
RAVEN itself is a coalition built specifically to avoid the kind of fragmented, city-by-city prosecution that a case spanning 13 jurisdictions would otherwise invite. The task force draws on law enforcement partners from the Aurora, Denver, Arvada, Thornton and Lakewood police departments, the Arapahoe, Adams, Douglas and Jefferson county sheriff's offices, the Adams, Arapahoe, Denver and Douglas district attorney's offices, and federal partners including the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado Department of Corrections, the ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Colorado U.S. Attorney's Office.
Established in 2019 by expanding Denver's 2013 Crime Gun Intelligence Center and folding in the Metro Gang Task Force, RAVEN was designed from the outset to eliminate jurisdictional boundaries when chasing violent offenders across the metro region, according to the Crime Gun Intelligence Center. That regional structure lets smaller suburban departments tap into federal and regional forensic resources they otherwise couldn't access alone. Because cases like this one span multiple counties, RAVEN works directly with Organized Crime Unit prosecutors from the Denver District Attorney's Office to consolidate charges into a single venue — Denver District Court — rather than litigating fragmented cases across county lines, as the city of Aurora has explained in connection with a prior operation.
Ballistics Technology Tied the Case Together
Central to linking the string of criminal episodes across so many cities was RAVEN's use of the ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, alongside acoustic gunshot detection, cell phone tracking and social media analysis, per the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice. Rapid NIBIN processing lets task force analysts quickly match cartridge casings recovered from separate shootings to the same firearm, even when the incidents occurred in different cities months apart. That same ballistic-matching approach was central to a July 2025 RAVEN investigation that led to 16 arrests, including nine minors, tied to at least 16 violent criminal episodes linked to two metro Denver gangs.
Deputy Chief Mark Hildebrand, who oversees the Aurora Police Department's investigations division including the RAVEN task force, said the investigation demonstrated the value of law enforcement collaboration in holding violent offenders accountable and disrupting criminal networks.
Part of a Busy Stretch for the Task Force
This case lands just five weeks after RAVEN executed another regional takedown in September that resulted in eight arrests across 10 jurisdictions, after investigators used ballistic evidence to link suspects to hundreds of violent shootings; that earlier operation targeted 10 total suspects facing 89 felony and misdemeanor charges under Colorado's organized crime laws, according to the City of Aurora. The pace reflects a broader trend: in 2024 alone, RAVEN initiated 61 new investigations, advanced 74 ongoing cases, made 127 arrests of violent offenders, seized 151 firearms and recovered more than 100 pounds of illicit drugs across the metro area, according to Sentinel Colorado.
The investigation into this case remains active and ongoing, and anyone with additional information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
