Deported gang member arrested in Greeley
By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 02/07/2008 11:55:34 AM MST


A member of the violent Sureno 13 street gang was arrested in Greeley by a gang task force as he smoked marijuana while baby-sitting his three-year-old child, law enforcement officials say.

The man was identified as Renato Rodarte-Bueno, 33, of Mexico.

The arrested occurred about 9 p.m. Saturday in a Greeley apartment.

Carl Rusnok, spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said that ICE agents originally targeted Rodarte-Bueno for arrest after they discovered he had returned to the Greeley area after his deportation in 1997.

Rusnok, who identified Rodarte-Bueno as an active member of the Sureno gang, had felony convictions for robbery and theft in Santa Barbara County, Calif., Superior Court in 1993 and 1994 and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Before his convictions and deportation, Rodarte-Bueno was a permanent U.S. resident.

At the beginning of the month, agents of the Greeley Gang Task Force learned that Rodarte-Bueno was planning to return to the Greeley area on the El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Bus Line after an extended trip to Los Angeles.

The arrest was part of Operation Community Shield, a nationwide ICE anti-gang initiative whose goal is to disrupt, dismantle and assist in the criminal prosecution of what ICE describes as "violent transnational street gangs."

Initially, ICE's anti-gang efforts were directed at the "Mara Salvatrucha" organization, commonly referred to as MS-13. NMS-13 is described by federal officials as one of the most violent and rapidly growing transnational gangs.

In May 2005, the anti-gang mandate was expanded to include all transnational street and prison gangs, said Rusnok.

"Since inception, ICE agents across 100 field offices, working in conjunction with hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide, have arrested a total of 7,174 street gang members and associates, representing over 736 different gangs," Rusnok said in a release.

The arrest of Rodarte-Bueno, who is accused of child abuse-neglect and possessing marijuana, was hailed by both state and federal agents.

"Gang members represent a significant threat to public safety throughout the United States," said Jeffrey Copp, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Denver. "ICE closely partners with local law enforcement agencies to especially target transnational gang members and ultimately deport them to their countries of origin."

Jerry Garner, chief of the Greeley Police Department, said that cooperation between law enforcement agencies leads to "good arrests.

"I think that happened in this case and we much appreciate the help from ICE," said Garner.

Rusnok said that it is a felony, punishable by a prison term up to 20 years, to re-enter the United States after being formally deported. He said the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver has agreed to prosecute Rodarte-Bueno for his re-entry into the United States.

Officials said that of the 7,174 street gang arrests, 116 involved the apprehension of gang leaders. More than 2,663 of the arrested suspects had violent criminal histories and ICE also seized 310 firearms.

Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_8196977