CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The acting administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said Colorado is “ground zero for some of the most violent criminals in America” and leadership for the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
“We are learning that the command and control for TdA in the entire United States of America is right here in Colorado,” said Derek Maltz, who stepped into his role just after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, adding that this new information was based on intelligence from front-line agents in the Rocky Mountain Division of the DEA.
Maltz was in Denver on Thursday to visit with roughly 150 agents and employees of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division. He spoke exclusively with Denver7 Investigates during his visit regarding the events of the past few months, including multiple operations throughout the Denver metro area.
During the interview, he praised the Rocky Mountain office and said he’s learned more about TdA from this group than anywhere else. Especially following an August 2024 statement from the Rocky Mountain DEA on Tren de Aragua.