Denver man escapes Tren de Aragua kidnapping, three sentenced to 20 years
On July 10, 2026 a Denver man escaped from a home turned torture chamber and entered a police station with his right pinky finger missing, ending a days‑long kidnapping orchestrated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Prosecutors said the victim, who had been renting a room, was seized after his roommates discovered his family’s police ties in Venezuela. The captors tied him, deprived him of food and water, and repeatedly assaulted him while recording the abuse. The video was sent to his wife in an attempt to extort money from his family.
When the family failed to pay, a gang leader allegedly ordered the removal of a finger to increase pressure. Jefferson Balza‑Delfin used pliers to sever the victim’s right pinky, an act captured on video. The next morning, after three of the men fled the residence, the victim fled the house and reported the crime at a Denver police station, showing officers the missing digit.
U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly called the plot “what Tren de Aragua was doing in our community,” and announced that Darwin Veliz‑Gonzalez, Jefferson Balza‑Delfin and Yender Enrique Campos‑Malave each received 20‑year federal prison sentences for kidnapping and torture. A fourth defendant’s sentencing was postponed.
Denver police first responded to the South Hazel Court address on Oct. 16, 2024 after a welfare call, but a limited visual search missed the victim who remained hidden. After the three suspects escaped, the victim seized the opportunity to get out.
FBI Denver Field Office agents, alongside local and state partners, investigated the case as part of a Violent Criminal Enterprise Task Force aimed at disrupting Tren de Aragua’s operations in the United States. A separate federal grand jury indictment targets Brawins Dominique Suarez Villegas, accused of broader criminal activities linked to the gang.
The convictions mark a significant step in curbing the transnational gang’s presence in Colorado, with authorities saying the community is safer while the investigation into remaining members continues.
