A Venezuelan gang vandalized a beautiful Airbnb in Colorado after renting it for a large party, police said.
The Evergreen property was decimated after members of Tren de Aragua stayed at the home over the weekend, the sheriff’s office said.
Owner Karen Martiz, 42, said she was left speechless when she saw the condition of the rental, which also contained packets of suspicious pink powder and 400 empty alcohol bottles.
Her furniture had been stacked in one room to make way for a “rave,” during which guests had smoked indoors and vandalized the property, Martiz said.
“I just feel so disrespected, so violated,” Martiz said VOC31. “We’re just trying to share our homes, make a decent living and just live a normal life.”
A Venezuelan gang vandalized a beautiful Airbnb in Colorado after renting it for a large party, police said
It is alleged that members of Tren de Aragua were to blame for the decimation
The homeowner explained how she first became suspicious after hearing many more voices than expected through the property’s doorbell camera.
“I just had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good,” Martiz said.
Upon arrival, she was greeted with a breathtaking scene.
“There was alcohol everywhere. We probably put away 300, 400 bottles easily,” Martiz said.
She added that residents had also spit chewing gum throughout the property.
“I mean, I’ve never seen so much bubble gum in my life,” Martiz said. “So we scraped gum from my kitchen, from my living room. We need to replace the entire carpet.”
She has since contacted Airbnb in hopes the company can help her reimburse her for the repairs.
The sheriff’s office is also investigating and confirmed it believes members of Tren de Aragua were involved.
Owner Karen Martiz thought she was renting her Evergreen property to a small group
But she was left stunned after entering the house after renting to find it trashed, with suspected illegal substances like this speckling the surfaces.
The guests left behind mountains of rubbish after using the property for a one-night stay
Martiz estimates she had to clean up 400 bottles of alcohol after the party
But for Martiz, the experience has deterred her from ever renting the property again.
Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan street gang that has been active in the country since approximately 2012.
However, they recently gained notoriety in the US after security camera footage emerged on social media showing a group of heavily armed men brazenly breaking into an apartment in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado.
That prompted former President Donald Trump to promise to “liberate” Aurora from Venezuelans who he falsely said were “taking over the entire city.”
Police call the reports exaggerated, but nevertheless acknowledge that they are investigating ten gang members for involvement in various crimes, including a murder in July.
They include a Venezuelan who was arrested in another Denver suburb and accused of helping someone else steal a motorcycle and pointing an AR-15 at a tow truck driver who asked him to take his car move.
Martiz said her suspicions first arose when she heard multiple voices on the Ring doorbell camera
The homeowner had to replace the carpet after guests ground chewing gum into it
Martiz said the experience left her feeling “violated” and she refrained from renting it again
Another was suspected of stealing designer Gucci sunglasses in Boulder and has a criminal record in multiple states, including for carjacking and vehicle abuse.
Elsewhere, from the heartland to major cities like New York and Chicago, the gang has been accused of sex trafficking, drug smuggling and police shootings, as well as the exploitation of migrants.