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.
“I was on national news talking about TdA when they started emerging in New York City, when they were ripping pocketbooks off the necks of elderly women, and they were dragging people on mopeds down the blocks. And I didn't know anything about TdA,” he said.
"I learned more about TdA from the men and women of the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division than anywhere in the country. And that's why I'm proud to be here.”
- Watch the full interview in the video player below:
Maltz said, in his opinion, criminals have taken advantage of vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the state. He also called on local leaders to not make this a partisan issue.
“Talk to people that are being impacted every day. The first job of a leader or law enforcement professional is to protect the public, and that's the No. 1 responsibility,” he said. “The politics have to stop. This is not a red or blue issue. This is a red, white and blue issue. Every American should care what's going on, not just in Colorado, but the entire country."
- RELATED: A DEA raid of a "TdA invitation-only party" in Adams County netted 49 arrests, including TdA members. None of them were immediately facing charges.
Maltz said he believes the border policies of recent years have been too open and allowed for too many people to cross the U.S. border unaccounted for.
“We love immigration. It makes this country great. Diversity is critical to the success of America. But we have to have a system," he said. "We have to have law and order. We have to have accountability. But what I'm proud to report is that right now, the cartels, the MS-13, the violent gangs like Tren de Aragua, they're going to be held accountable and they're already being held accountable.”
Regarding the impact of recent activity led in part by the DEA, Maltz said there is more to come and he feels the efforts are already making a difference.
“We're the DEA, and we're going to continue to go after the worst drug traffickers and narco terrorists and terrorists. Now, we're going to continue to clean up the communities,” he said. “The impact is already being felt.”
- RELATED: A suspected TdA member and a man with cartel ties were among those arrested on Jan. 29 as the DEA conducted 4 Denver-area operations
