April 24 (UPI) — Federal prosecutors have announced the first terrorism-related charges filed against an alleged member of the Tren de Aragua gang, which the Trump administration has been targeting amid his nationwide crackdown on immigration.
The five-count superseding indictment was returned by a Houston grand jury April 8 but was unsealed Wednesday in a Southern District of Texas courtroom, charging Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, 24, with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as with drug-related offenses.
President Donald Trump designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization in February, a move he used last month to invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador — a move that has since been blocked by the courts, halting further deportations.
Federal prosecutors have accused Flores, who also goes by “Chuqui,” of being a high-ranking member of the Venezuelan gang. He was arrested in Colombia at the request of the United States on March 31.
The charging document alleges that he was involved in the delivery of approimately 11 pounds or more of cocaine for international distribution. The Justice Department said he “is part of the inner circle of senior TdA leadership.”
He is currently in Columbian custody, though he is expected to be extradited to the United States, despite the Trump administration’s efforts to deport those accused of being affiliated with the gang.
“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,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement announcing the charges.
If convicted, Flores faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
The indictment was unsealed Wednesday after the Justice Department charged 27 alleged members and associates of the Venezuelan gang with a slew of offenses, including human smuggling, armed robberies and sex and drug trafficking.