HOUSTON – A five-count superseding indictment has been unsealed charging two Venezuelan nationals and alleged high-ranking members of the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, 37, aka ‘El Viejo,’ and Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, 24, aka ‘Chuqui,’ are charged with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization as well as conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States.
A federal grand jury in Houston returned a superseding indictment April 8, which has now been unsealed in its entirety. Colombian authorities arrested Martinez Flores March 31 in Colombia pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant the United States had requested. He remains in custody there pending further proceedings.
Mosquera Serrano, meanwhile, remains a fugitive and is now on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List.
“Transnational criminal gangs and cartels have preyed upon Americans for far too long,” said Ganjei. “That ends now. The Southern District of Texas is committed to smashing these criminal terror groups and will use every available legal tool to do so. It doesn’t matter if you are hiding a continent away; if you hurt U.S. citizens, we will find you and bring you to justice. This is what Operation Take Back America looks like.”
According to the allegations, Mosquera Serrano and Martinez Flores are charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support to TdA in the form of personnel (including themselves) and services and one count of providing material support to TdA. The indictment also alleges one count of international drug distribution conspiracy based on their involvement in the distribution of five kilograms of cocaine or more and two substantive counts of international drug distribution.
The Department of State designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist February 20. According to information presented to the court, Mosquera Serrano is a senior TdA leader who oversees TdA criminal operations across Colombia, Central America, and the United States, and Martinez Flores is a high-ranking TdA leader in Bogota, Colombia.
If convicted, they face up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine. The Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Mosquera Serrano. Anyone with information concerning Mosquera Serrano is urged to contact the FBI via WhatsApp or Telegram at 281-787-9939 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other local and international authorities.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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