DOJ indicts alleged high-ranking Tren de Aragua member on terrorism charges for the first time
The Justice Department is charging a high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua on terrorism and international drug distribution charges—the first time the U.S.government is using terrorism charges to prosecute a member of the violent gang.A five-count superseding indictment was unsealed Wednesday, and first obtained by Fox News Digital, charging 24-year-old Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, also known as “Chuqui,” with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.Flores is allegedly a high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua, who allegedly serves as a Plaza Boss in Bogota, Colombia.
He is allegedly a part of the inner circle of senior Tren de Aragua leadership, Fox News Digital has learned. Flores was also charged with conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States. “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 told Fox News Digital.“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.”FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital that Tren de Aragua is a “violent arm of the Maduro regime operating inside our borders.”“With these charges, we are using every available tool to confront them as the transnational threat they are,” Patel told Fox News Digital.
“From drug trafficking and human smuggling to brutal violence, this group has inflicted chaos on American communities.”Patel added: “Today’s indictment is a critical step in dismantling their network and holding its members accountable.”Colombian authorities arrested Flores in Colombia in March 30, pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant the United States had been requesting.“This is the first time th...