The content on Venezuelapolitica.info is protected under U.S. law. If any YouTube channel or other platform plagiarizes the content without giving credit, we will be forced to report the channel to the platforms where our materials are published immediately.
Colombian authorities arrested Flores on March 31 in Colombia, complying with a provisional arrest warrant requested by the United States. He remains detained in Colombia awaiting further proceedings.
In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Department of Justice has made a significant step in the fight against organized crime by charging a suspected high-ranking member of the Aragua Train (TdA), the feared transnational criminal organization that originated in Venezuela and has recently been designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
José Enrique Martínez Flores, known as “Chuqui,” at just 24 years old, has been formally charged in the Southern District of Texas with five federal offenses, which include:
Conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization.
Providing material support to said organization.
Conspiracy for international distribution of cocaine.
Two counts of international drug distribution.
Authorities claim that Martínez Flores offered personnel (including himself) and services to the TdA, fully aware that this organization is engaged in terrorist activities. This is the first time a TdA member faces terrorism charges in the U.S., highlighting the new strategy by the U.S. government to tackle such threats.
Colombian authorities arrested Flores on March 31 in Colombia, complying with a provisional arrest warrant requested by the United States. He remains detained in Colombia awaiting further proceedings.
Transnational Crime Under Scrutiny
According to the indictment, the crimes occurred in a transnational context, with criminal activities spanning Texas, Colombia, and Venezuela, ultimately aiming to traffic cocaine into the United States. Martínez Flores was arrested in Colombia on March 31 and is currently detained while the extradition process unfolds.
A Historic Process
The Federal Grand Jury in Houston issued the formal indictment on April 8. This indictment is the culmination of an intensive investigation led by the DEA, FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, and Colombian authorities as part of the Operation Recover America and the expansion of the Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV).
“TdA is not just a street gang; it is a highly structured terrorist organization that established itself in our country during the previous administration,” stated Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“Today’s charges represent a turning point in how this Department of Justice will process and ultimately dismantle this wicked organization, which has destroyed American families and poisoned our communities,” Bondi added.
“This Department of Justice is committed to eradicating this terrorist gang,” added federal prosecutor Nicholas J. Ganjei.
“The Aragua Train is a direct threat to our national security,” asserted FBI Director Kash Patel.
Cocaine, Terrorism, and Criminal Power
The indictment also alleges that Flores was involved in the distribution of more than five kilograms of cocaine, the proceeds of which were used to finance TdA operations. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment and a fine of up to 10 million dollars.
This case represents a radical shift in how the United States will confront organizations like the Aragua Train, which will no longer be treated merely as common crime networks, but as terrorist structures with substantial regional destabilization power.
The message is clear: transnational criminal gangs will no longer operate with impunity. However, many questions remain: what was Martínez Flores’s exact role within the TdA leadership? What evidence supports his direct involvement? What other members are under scrutiny?
As this historic judicial process unfolds, it is clear that the “Chuqui” case is just the tip of the iceberg of a threat that has deeply infiltrated the Americas.
Federal prosecutors Casey N. MacDonald and Aníbal J. Alaniz from SDTX are pursuing the case alongside Deputy Director David C. Smith from the Justice Department’s Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV).
The JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and has now expanded to combat the TdA. It comprises Federal Prosecutors from across the country, including SDTX; the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; the Northern District of Ohio; the Districts of New Jersey, Utah, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Alaska; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Division of National Security and the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Additionally, the FBI, DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federation are involved.
This case is also part of the “Recover America” Operation, a national initiative that mobilizes all resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total eradication of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from violent crime offenders. The “Recover America” operation streamlines efforts and resources from Organized Crime and Drug Control Task Forces within the Department and the Safe Neighborhood Project.
A formal indictment is simply an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.