A man believed to be a leader of the terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) has been extradited to Texas in a historic first, authorities announced.
The gang leader, Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, is set to make his initial court appearance in Houston. He has been charged with “one count of conspiring to provide material support to TdA in the form of personnel (including himself) and services and one count of providing material support to TdA,” the Department of Justice explained. The indictment also says Flores took part in an “international drug distribution conspiracy” due to his “involvement in the distribution of five kilograms of cocaine or more in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States.”
If convicted, Flores faces a maximum penalty of life in prison as well as a $10 million fine.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the event is the “first time ever that a TdA member has been charged with terrorism-related crimes and been extradited to the U.S. – history made pursuant to President Trump’s executive order last summer designating Tren de Aragua as an FTO.”
Other individuals listed in a second superseding indictment were TdA leaders Yohan Jose Romero, Juan Gabriel Rivas Nunez, and Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano.
Serrano is on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. According to the State Department, Serrano is a “notorious leader” of the gang and has “overseen narcotics trafficking efforts and murders” in Colombia. He is also responsible for “extortion efforts on TdA’s behalf and has managed the financial proceeds of the FTO’s criminal activities.”
