The first alleged Tren de Aragua leader extradited into the United States arrived in Houston to face federal terrorism and international drug trafficking charges, marking a new phase in Washington's criminal case against the Venezuelan gang.
José Enrique Martínez Flores, a 24-year-old Venezuelan national also known as "Chuqui," was extradited from Colombia to Texas and is expected to make his first appearance in Houston federal court on Friday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas. Prosecutors described him as a high-ranking Tren de Aragua leader in Bogotá and part of the group's alleged inner circle.
The Justice Department had previously charged alleged Tren de Aragua members and leaders in several U.S. cases, and the United States has extradited alleged TdA members to Chile in a separate case. But Martínez appears to be the first alleged Tren de Aragua leader brought into the United States through extradition to face American charges.
Prosecutors say Martínez helped oversee Tren de Aragua operations in Colombia, including drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution and murder. He is charged with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, providing material support to Tren de Aragua and conspiring to distribute cocaine in Colombia intended for shipment to the United States.
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If convicted, Martínez could face up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million, federal prosecutors said. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case reflects the Trump administration's decision to treat Tren de Aragua not only as a transnational criminal gang, but as a terrorism target. The State Department designated Tren de Aragua a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist in February 2025, alongside other Latin American criminal organizations.
The charges against Martínez were first unsealed in April 2025, when the Justice Department described the case as the first federal terrorism prosecution against an alleged Tren de Aragua member.
The Houston indictment also names three other alleged Tren de Aragua leaders: Yohan Jospe Romero, also known as "Johan Petrica"; Juan Gabriel Rivas Nuñez, also known as "Juancho"; and Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, also known as "El Viejo."
Prosecutors say the men were part of the organization's senior leadership and helped direct criminal activity across multiple countries.
Mosquera Serrano remains a fugitive and is listed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The FBI describes him as an alleged senior leader of Tren de Aragua and says the State Department is offering up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The State Department has separately offered up to $5 million for information on Mosquera Serrano through its Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program. Treasury officials sanctioned him in 2025, describing him as a fugitive TdA leader involved in the group's drug trafficking and financial operations.
The indictment alleges that cocaine proceeds were used to support Tren de Aragua's broader criminal operations. Federal prosecutors say those operations included violence and extortion, as well as activities meant to strengthen the group's reach outside Venezuela.
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