They were a group of homegrown taggers in the late 1990s.But over the course of a decade, the taggers evolved into a violent gang that used guns, made threats and committed robberies as they roamed Lakewood and Denver, officials said Wednesday as they announced the arrest of eight gang members.
At an afternoon news conference, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said he will use the state’s organized-crime law to prosecute the gang members. He said weapons and narcotics charges also would be filed.
“This is an organized gang,” Morrissey said. “Like any other organized- crime group, they were using guns and drugs to generate the money they needed to keep the organization going.”
Among the narcotics seized Wednesday were more than 2,600 Ecstasy pills as well as cocaine and methamphetamine.
During the nine-month investigation, agents also seized numerous weapons used by the gang, including four semiautomatic pistols and two assault rifles, said Luke Franey, assistant special agent in charge of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office in Denver.
Kevin Paletta, Lakewood police chief, said the arrests made the streets safer.
“This is a very active group, particularly along the Denver-Lakewood border. They are a violent group,” Paletta said. “Getting these folks off the street not only prevented future crimes, but I’m confident they prevented future acts of violence.”
The officials said that they have increasingly seen taggers develop into violent-crime gangs in the metropolitan area.
Denver Deputy Police Chief Michael Battista said investigators have noticed tagging crews that “graduate into the criminal activity of narcotics and then into the more violent crimes.”
“I think a lot of people think they can just walk up to a tagger, and it’s just going to be a kid who they can stop from tagging their fence,” Morrissey said. “I think they need to understand that there is a potential that a tagger may be armed and that a tagger would get violent.”
Morrissey said the investigation started as the result of an investigation of a rival group of taggers.
Arrested Wednesday were Joshua Yarmon, 20; Guadalupe Trujillo, 38; Gabriel Sears, 20; Stephanie Johnson, 23; Jesse Romero, 23; Rodrigo Padilla, 26; alleged ringleader Isaiah Lunas, 22; and Merina Valenzuela, 19.
Police are still searching for Anthony Bernard, 32, and Stephen Oliver, 21.
Bail was set for six of those arrested: Four are being held on $1 million bail; two on $250,000 bail.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
