Aurora cops expressed concern about Tren de Aragua last year — but officials gaslit them: leaked emails

Cops successful Aurora, Colorado were concerned astir migrants successful nan Venezuelan situation pack Tren de Aragua terrorizing nan metropolis arsenic early arsenic past twelvemonth — but nan department’s brass and metropolis officials continued to downplay nan situation, according to leaked soul emails.

The correspondence, which Aurora Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky shared connected X, appears to show that nan Aurora Police Department was alert of TdA’s beingness successful nan area arsenic acold backmost arsenic November 2023 and that immoderate cops were increasing disappointment pinch nan city’s consequence to nan gang’s crimes.

The Post was nan first to report on TdA’s infiltration of nan city, its takeover of respective poorly-maintained flat complexes and its apical leader, nicknamed “Cookie,” who was progressive successful astatine slightest 2 convulsive crimes.

Many of nan emails attested that TdA was known to beryllium taking complete respective flat complexes crossed nan Centennial State metropolis moreover arsenic officials publically downplayed nan situation.

One fed-up sergeant successful nan department’s homicide portion fumed successful an Aug. 22 email that “many group successful this agency person been denying nan beingness of TdA and saying nan full point is blown retired of proportionality while astatine nan aforesaid time, nan patrol won’t respond to these locations without an armored vehicle.”

The serviceman past expressed a fearfulness that “all hellhole is going to break loose” if Aurora officials continued to hide their heads successful nan sand.

“As soon arsenic this group kills an guiltless personification each hellhole is going to break loose and I would dislike for america each to beryllium exposed for not sharing accusation pinch each different and/or not being capable to show that we person dedicated proactive units and investigative units straight impacting this problem.”

The Post was not capable to independently verify nan veracity of nan emails.

In response, nan bull was told by different sergeant successful nan department’s pack and robbery portion that “we were told” location was a database of 120 “vetted” gangbangers — but that they were struggling to get immoderate much accusation aliases practice from Homeland Security.

“I’ll only speak for myself, I consciousness we person ne'er denied nan beingness of nan problem. But we’ve been denied accusation to afloat understand nan problem,” the sergeant wrote successful nan response.

“Hopefully your email encourages much accusation sharing,” nan bull added.

Another stunning email revealed that nan Aurora Police Department was alerted astir nan Venezuelan gang’s beingness successful Denver successful November 2023 — almost a twelvemonth earlier nan metropolis was catapulted into nationalist headlines successful August erstwhile frightening video capturing a unit of gun-wielding men storming done an flat analyzable went viral.

Federal rule enforcement sources later confirmed to The Post that 1 of nan men is an admitted personnel of TdA.

The connection from an serviceman wrong nan department’s pack involution unit, dated Nov. 16, acknowledged a informing from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement astir TdA gaining a foothold successful nan area.

“I besides said pinch an ICE supplier coming who reached retired to his intel guy, nan feline sewage backmost alternatively quickly, and stated TdA has decided to make Denver their office owed to sanctuary policies and location,” nan email said.

Aurora, the third-most-populous city in Colorado, is astir 10 miles eastbound of Denver.

The serviceman said he planned connected sending astir a department-wide “Tren de Aragua bulletin” informing of nan intel.

That email came successful nan aforesaid period that nan sadistic gang, led by TdA “shot-caller” Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirino, brutally assaulted a man astatine the Fitzsimons Place apartment complex successful Aurora.

The analyzable was later shut down complete codification violations, which nan owners said they couldn’t hole owed to a takeover of nan building by nan gang, according to tribunal documents obtained by The Post.

Chirino — who goes by “Galleta,” which is Spanish for “Cookie — was yet arrested successful July for a shooting astatine nan aforesaid complex, wherever 2 men were near wounded.

After nan viral footage from nan Edge astatine Lowry apartments emerged months later, Aurora’s then-interim constabulary main Heather Morris denied nan pack had taken complete nan complex.

“I’m not saying there’s not pack members that don’t unrecorded successful this community, but what we’re learning retired present is that pack members person not taken complete this complex,” said Morris.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis besides dismissed outrage complete nan gang’s takeover of Aurora flat complexes arsenic “imagination.”

A spokesperson for nan metropolis of Aurora told The Post it’s “aware” of nan leaked emails, confirming that “more than a twelvemonth ago, location was speculation and interest among immoderate of our officers that members of TdA and/or different criminal elements were progressive successful nan metropolis victimizing caller members of nan Venezuelan migrant community.”

However, nan connection went connected to insist that “police departments and nan justness strategy arsenic a full must trust connected admissible evidence, not hearsay, rumors and fragments of information.”

The spokesperson asserted that “contrary to claims made connected societal media and by prime news organizations, nan city, including APD, has remained accordant successful responses connected this matter.”

The Aurora Police Department continues to analyse TdA crimes, nan connection added.