A 24-year-old Venezuelan national is set to make his initial appearance in Houston federal court for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and significant drug trafficking offenses.
Jose Enrique Martinez Flores also known as “Chuqui,” 24, is alleged to be a high-ranking leader of the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Bogota, Colombia, and is part of the inner circle of senior TdA leadership.
Colombian authorities arrested Flores in Colombia on March 31, 2025, pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant the United States had requested. He has now arrived in Houston and is set for an initial appearance on May 15 at 10 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan for the Southern District of Texas.
According to the allegations, Flores is 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 indictment also alleges international drug distribution conspiracy based on his involvement in the distribution of five kilograms of cocaine or more in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States. The charges allege the proceeds were used to further TdA’s criminal goals.
As a TdA leader, Flores allegedly oversaw criminal activities in Colombia such as drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution, and murder.
A federal grand jury in Houston returned a second superseding indictment Dec. 16, 2025, which also charges three other TdA leaders – Yohan Jose Romero also known as “Johan Petrica,” 48, Juan Gabriel Rivas Nunez also known as “Juancho,” 45, and Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano also known as “El Viejo,” 38, for conspiring to provide and providing material support to TdA. Mosquera Serrano is also named in the conspiracy and distribution of cocaine charges along with Flores.
The Department of State designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist on Feb. 20, 2025.
If convicted, Flores faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
The original announcement can be found here.
