A suspected top leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was extradited from Colombia to the United States on Thursday, marking the first known transfer of a TdA member from Colombia to face terrorism-related charges in federal court.
Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, a 24-year-old Venezuelan national known as “Chuqui,” was set to appear Friday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan in Houston federal court after arriving in Texas following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation, the Justice Department said in a press release.
CASE UPDATE from @FBIHouston: Tren de Aragua Leader Extradited on Terrorism and International Drug Distribution Charges following Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationJose Enrique Martinez Flores, aka Chuqui, alleged to be a high-ranking leader of Tren de Aragua in Bogota,… pic.twitter.com/rNwHxsOoAu— FBI (@FBI) May 14, 2026
FBI Director Kash Patel on Friday called Flores the “highest-ranking” TdA leader ever to be extradited to the U.S. for prosecution, lauding President Donald Trump for his executive order that designated the Venezuelan-linked criminal gang as a foreign terrorist organization.
Federal prosecutors allege Flores was part of the inner circle of TdA leadership operating in Bogota, Colombia, overseeing a network involved in cocaine trafficking, extortion, and prostitution. The Trump administration designated TdA a foreign terrorist organization in February last year, dramatically expanding the legal tools available to pursue the gang.
