The Department of Justice has for the first time charged an alleged high-ranking Tren de Aragua gang member with terrorism-related crimes, officials announced Wednesday.
As part of its immigration crackdown, the Trump administration has targeted the Venezuelan gang for months – designating it a foreign terrorist organization in February following an executive order issued on President Donald Trump’s first day in office.
The Department of Justice alleges Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, 24, is a high-ranking Tren de Aragua – or TdA – leader in Bogotá, Colombia, and is part of the “inner circle” of senior gang leadership, according to a Wednesday news release. He also allegedly “caused the delivery” of cocaine for international distribution to further the gang’s criminal goals, the department said.
Flores, who is detained in Colombia, was arrested by Colombian authorities on March 31 after the US issued a provisional arrest warrant. On April 8, a Houston federal grand jury filed a superseding indictment. It is not yet clear when he will be extradited to the US.
Flores was charged with one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization as well as another count of conspiracy to provide material support, according to the indictment filed in a Texas federal court.
Flores, a Venezuelan national, was also charged with one count of international drug distribution conspiracy and two counts of international drug distribution.
CNN is working to determine whether Flores has legal representation.
The terror-related charges come over a month after the administration invoked the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of alleged members of the gang from the United States to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. Both the Supreme Court and a federal district court temporarily blocked the administration’s ability to deport migrants under the wartime law.
“TdA is not a street gang – it is a highly structured terrorist organization that put down roots in our country during the prior administration,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “Today’s charges represent an inflection point in how this Department of Justice will prosecute and ultimately dismantle this evil organization, which has destroyed American families and poisoned our communities.”
Starting around February 20, Flores allegedly conspired to provide, provided and attempted to provide “material support or resources,” to the gang in the form of services and personnel, according to the indictment.
And starting about a year ago, Flores allegedly conspired with others to manufacture and distribute a substance containing cocaine, “having reasonable cause to believe that such substance would be unlawfully imported into the United States of America, the indictment said.”
Beginning in November 2024, Flores allegedly manufactured and distributed about 10 kilograms of a substance containing cocaine intended for distribution in the US. Then, about a month ago, Flores allegedly distributed about 14 kilograms of a mixture containing cocaine intended for US distribution, according to the indictment.
The criminal gang originated in a Venezuela prison and has slowly spread both north and south in recent years. It now operates in the United States, US Customs and Border Protection and the FBI have said.
“TdA is a direct threat to our national security, to our communities, and to Americans,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in the news release. “Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI continues in our pursuit to eliminate this violent terrorist organization from our streets, and today’s announcement makes it clear that these criminals, especially the leaders of these cartels, have no place in our country.”
For years, Tren de Aragua not only terrorized Venezuela but also countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Peru. The gang has engaged in criminal activities including human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering and drug smuggling, according to the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Flores faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine if convicted.
CNN’s Jamiel Lynch, Ray Sanchez and Rafael Romo contributed to this report.
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