Federal officials confirmed that a member of Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua was recently arrested in Colorado Springs after being tied to the kidnapping, interrogation and murder of another member over a year ago.

Yorvis Carrascal-Campo, 26, was arrested Wednesday after running from local and federal authorities in a southeast Colorado Springs neighborhood. Authorities believe he and 10 other TdA members are responsible for sex and drug trafficking, several kidnappings and the murder of a man they allegedly tortured before shoving him in a suitcase and burying him in the deserts of New Mexico, according to a 22-page court indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

New Mexico District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Tessa DuBerry confirmed to The Gazette on Thursday that Carrascal-Campo is one of the defendants in the indictment.

So far, seven of the 11 members have been arrested, DuBerry said.

DuBerry would not say why Carrascal-Campo was in Colorado Springs and if there could be other members in the city. However, the indictment notes two separate instances of the TdA members traveling to Colorado, and that there’s a “strong gang presence” in the mountain state.

August 2024 shootout at Aurora apartment complex tied to TdA

The indictment ties TdA leader Adan Jose Ramirez-Sanchez to a fatal shootout at an apartment complex in Aurora in August 2024. A video of the shooting went viral at the time, sparking a national debate over illegal immigration, as many online speculated TdA was involved, according to previous reporting from The Denver Gazette.

The District Attorney’s Office confirmed through the indictment that the shooting happened after six TdA members, including Ramirez-Sanchez, barged through the apartment units looking for rival gang members and individuals they believed owed TdA money. Shortly after, the shootout ensued, and a 25-year-old was killed.

The Aurora Police Department confirmed to The Gazette that Ramirez-Sanchez, whose street name is “El Ciego,” is still on the run, and he still has outstanding warrants in Arapahoe County.

According to the indictment, the 11 members entered the U.S. illegally in April 2022 to join a subset of TdA in New Mexico referred to as “Guerilla Pobre” or “GP.” Each subset, or “TdA cell,” has leaders assigned to it and is organized by geographic area. Each cell is responsible for carrying out the gang’s agenda, including acts of violence.

In addition to the murder, Carrascal-Campo and the others are accused of manufacturing and distributing controlled substances, forging fraudulent naturalization and citizenship papers, using firearms to instill fear and threaten violence and also sex trafficking several women.

In one incident, the indictment details an alleged kidnapping of two women. Authorities say Carrascal-Campo and four others allegedly assaulted the women and coerced one of them into commercial sex.

One of the women, named Jane Doe 1 in the indictment, was reportedly trafficked for about a month. The gang members would drive her and several others to “appointments” at hotels or apartments, where they would exchange sex for money. These events would occur on a “daily basis” and often happen multiple times a day, authorities say.

The kidnapping and murder of John Doe 1

Investigators tied the members to some of the crimes through voice messages and photos they would send to each other. According to the indictment, there were several audio messages discussing things related to drug trafficking and the murder of another TdA member they suspected was connected to a rival gang.

In June 2024, Carrascal-Campo and Ramirez-Sanchez traveled to Albuquerque to question the man, named in the indictment as John Doe 1, about his loyalty to their gang and his connections to rival ones.

The indictment claims some of the defendants lured John Doe 1 into an apartment unit, where they held him captive, then interrogated him before strangling him after a TdA leader authorized the killing through a phone call.

After that, photos of the man’s body were sent to Ramirez-Sanchez’s phone and other TdA leaders.

According to the indictment, Carrascal-Campo and others cleaned up the scene at the apartment in an effort to conceal the murder. The group then purchased shovels and a suitcase and stuffed John Doe 1 into it before taking his body to the desert, where he was ultimately buried.

Carrascal-Campo arrested in southeast Colorado Springs

On Wednesday, Homeland Security Investigations agents were reportedly serving a federal warrant for Carrascal-Campo in the 1400 block of Grand Overlook Street when he ran off.

At around 11:40 a.m., the Colorado Springs Police Department began assisting federal agents and issued a shelter-in-place order for the area while authorities tried to capture him. Numerous CSPD units were requested to help locate the suspect, who was found shortly before 2 p.m., according to department spokesperson Ira Cronin.

He was ultimately tracked down to a shed in a nearby backyard by a drone and police dogs.

According to DuBerry, Carrascal-Campo will make an initial court appearance in Colorado before being extradited to New Mexico, where he and the other defendants will stand trial.