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, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
José Enrique Martínez Flores, aka Chuqui, 24, is alleged to be a high-ranking leader of the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua in Bogota, Colombia, and is part of the inner circle of senior TdA leadership.
Colombian authorities arrested him in Colombia 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 May 15 at 10 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan of 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, he 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 aka Johan Petrica, 48, Juan Gabriel Rivas Nunez aka Juancho, 45, and Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano aka 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.
If convicted, he faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine.
Mosquera Serrano is on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. Jose Romero and Rivas Nunez are also fugitives. Anyone with information concerning either individual is asked to contact the FBI via WhatsApp or Telegram at 281-787-9939. Those with information may also contact their local FBI office, nearest American Embassy or Consulate or can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The Department of State's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is also offering a reward of up to $4 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Jose Romero and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Mosquera Serrano.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz of the SDTX are prosecuting the case along with Deputy Director David C. Smith and Trial Attorneys James Keller and Kelly McGann of Joint Task Force Vulcan.
This case is part of JTFV, which was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded at the direction of the Attorney General to target TdA. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney's Offices across the country.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Organized Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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