Trump The Department of Justice has, for the first time, filed terrorism-related charges against an alleged senior member of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua, officials announced on Wednesday.
The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy, which has included a months-long focus on the Tren de Aragua gang. In February, the administration formally labeled the group a foreign terrorist organization through an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office.
According to a DOJ press release, Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, 24, is believed to be a high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua based in Bogotá, Colombia.
Authorities say he is part of the gang’s senior leadership “inner circle” and is accused of coordinating the international trafficking of cocaine to support the gang’s criminal operations.
Flores, currently in custody in Colombia, was arrested by Colombian authorities on March 31 following a provisional arrest request from the United States.
A federal grand jury in Houston later issued a superseding indictment on April 8. However, the timeline for his extradition to the U.S. remains uncertain.
According to the indictment filed in a Texas federal court, Flores faces one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and another count of conspiracy to provide such support.
Additionally, the Venezuelan national has been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute drugs internationally and two counts of international drug distribution.
The terrorism-related charges come just over a month after the Trump administration invoked the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of alleged Tren de Aragua members to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
That effort was temporarily halted by both the Supreme Court and a federal district court, which issued stays on the administration’s use of the wartime law to carry out deportations.
“Tren de Aragua is not merely a street gang – it is a sophisticated, highly organized terrorist network that established a foothold in our country during the previous administration,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“Today’s charges mark a turning point in our approach to dismantling this dangerous organization that has devastated American families and fueled the drug crisis in our communities.”
The indictment alleges that beginning around February 20, Flores conspired to provide—and did provide or attempt to provide—“material support or resources” to Tren de Aragua, including services and personnel.
According to the indictment, Flores began conspiring with others about a year ago to manufacture and distribute a cocaine-based substance, fully aware that it was intended for illegal import into the United States.
Starting in November 2024, Flores allegedly produced and distributed approximately 10 kilograms of a cocaine-laced substance for U.S. distribution.
About a month ago, he is accused of distributing an additional 14 kilograms of a similar mixture, also intended for smuggling into the U.S.
Tren de Aragua, the criminal organization Flores is accused of working with, originated in a Venezuelan prison and has steadily expanded its influence across Latin America and into the United States. Both U.S.
“Tren de Aragua poses a direct threat to our national security, to the safety of our communities, and to the American people,” said FBI Director Kash Patel in a statement.
“With the help of our law enforcement partners, the FBI is determined to eradicate this violent terrorist group from our streets.
Today’s charges send a clear message: criminal cartel leaders have no place in the United States.”
The gang, long notorious for its brutality in Venezuela, has also spread its criminal operations into countries like Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, and Peru.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has identified Tren de Aragua as being involved in a range of illicit activities, including human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, and narcotics smuggling.