By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-29 22:26:31 | Updated at 2024-11-30 00:54:59
2 hours ago
A Tren de Aragua goon arrested in a major New York City drug and gun bust had been ordered deported by an immigration judge in February — months before he allegedly took part in an armed Aurora, Colorado apartment invasion, The Post has learned.
Edison Pena Angulo, 25, one of 15 suspected members of the Venezuelan migrant gang nabbed Wednesday, had illegally crossed the US border in 2023 but was turned loose because of overcrowded ICE facilities, sources revealed.
Once free, Angulo apparently linked up with Denyeer Aramillo Meneses, 23, who likewise had entered the US illegally and got freed because of overcrowding. Meneses is now also a suspect in the caught-on-video Aurora burglary, sources said.
The Venezuelan pair’s path took them from Colorado — where they’re wanted on warrants, along with four other men in the armed takeover — to the Bronx, where a dragnet of NYPD cops and US Homeland Security Investigation agents busted them early Wednesday.
The reason why Angulo wasn’t deported — despite the judge’s February order — remained unclear, as did whether he actually showed up to immigration court, sources said.
The Tren de Aragua takedown sprang from a six-month investigation into the violent gang’s crimes, including a drug ring running from the Bronx to lower Manhattan, sources said.
So far, sources have only confirmed to The Post that Angulo and Meneses are also linked to the Aurora apartment brouhaha. Members of the violent TdA prison gang have taken over apartment buildings in the city, turning them into violent, crime-ridden headquarters.
Both men were arrested during their time in Colorado for unrelated crimes, sources said. Angulo was nabbed in March by Westminster police for shoplifting, while Meneses faced a burglary rap in August, according to sources.,
Since the Bronx bust, sources have confirmed the identities of four other Tren de Aragua members who were rounded up. At least two have allegedly run afoul of local law enforcement during their short time in the US.
NYPD cops arrested Jhonkennedy Bravo-Castro, 27, on larceny and resisting arrest charges Nov. 16, before he was released pending prosecution, sources said.
He had been apprehended by Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas in February this year and processed for expedited removal from the US, according to sources.
An immigration judge in Aurora, Colorado, in April ordered Bravo-Castro deported, but for reasons that remain unclear he remained in the US, sources said.
Carlos Chivico Medina, 24, was also arrested by NYPD cops in September 2023 on suspicion of larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, sources said.
The Bronx bust also ensnared Carlos Medina Rodriguez, 26, and Angel Jose Hernandez Hernandez, 21, sources told The Post.
The group allegedly peddled a variety of drugs — including heroin, fake weed and the synthetic drug Tussi — and dabbled in credit card fraud and violence, sources have told The Post.
Cops also found an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons during the raid, including three assault rifles, sources said.
The federal indictment against the Tren de Aragua suspects remained sealed as of Friday.
Both Angulo and Meneses are in custody at Orange County Correctional Facility, sources said.
