Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, 24, was arrested by Colombian authorities in March after American officials issued an arrest warrant.
By Matt Kyle
https://www.dallasnews.com/
An alleged high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua has been arrested and charged with terrorism and international drug trafficking charges in Texas, Justice Department officials said.
Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, 24, was charged by a Houston grand jury in the Southern District Court of Texas with conspiring to provide or providing materials to a foreign terrorist organization and with conspiring to manufacture cocaine in Colombia and distribute it in Texas.
He was arrested by Colombian authorities in March after American officials issued an arrest warrant, and he remains in Colombia pending future proceedings.
Martinez Flores was indicted earlier this month, officials said. Authorities allege he is a high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua in Bogota, Colombia, and is part of an inner circle of leadership in the gang.
He is the first alleged member of Tren de Aragua to face terrorism charges since the gang was declared a foreign terrorist organization by President Donald Trump.
Gov. Greg Abbott has also declared the gang to be a terrorist organization.
Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan prison gang that has many government officials taking aim at the group as it expands activities into Texas. The gang is known for violence, human trafficking and extortion, according to The Associated Press.
Trump has said the gang is “invading” America and has attempted to use the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to fast-track deportations of alleged gang members.
This has led to court fights, as a federal judge blocked Trump’s use of the law while the U.S. Supreme Court gave the OK for deportations as long as a hearing is held.
The gang has been active in many parts of Texas. A hotel in El Paso was shut down for some time due to crime linked to members of the gang. Undocumented immigrants and gang members, including an “unspecified number of suspected members of the Venezuelan gang,” were arrested last summer on assault, drug and prostitution charges.
Authorities in Houston and San Antonio announced arrests linked to Tren de Aragua in October. One person was arrested in Houston, while an apartment raid in San Antonio led to 19 arrests, four of which were alleged TdA members.
Dallas police said in October that gang activity was linked to TdA in North Dallas. Three men with alleged affiliations to the gang were arrested in an August homicide in Farmers Branch.
Martinez Flores did not have an attorney listed in federal court records. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million, officials said.
By Matt Kyle
Matt is a breaking news reporter. He is a graduate of Baylor University and is a native of San Antonio. Previously, Matt has written for the Waco Tribune-Herald.
| This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas. |
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