(Texas Scorecard) – A high-ranking member of the terrorist organization Tren de Aragua has been arrested in Colombia after being indicted in Houston for terrorism and international drug distribution charges.
Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, identified as a senior leader within the organization, was apprehended by Colombian authorities following a U.S. request and now faces federal charges in the Southern District of Texas.
Prosecutors allege TdA, the notoriously brutal gang designated a terrorist organization by both President Donald Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott, has expanded its criminal network into the U.S., coordinating drug trafficking and violent operations.
The FBI’s Houston Field Office and DEA conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Colombian National Police, and the Colombian Attorney General’s Office, according to the Justice Department.
“For the past few years, foreign gangs like TdA have more or less been able to enter the country with impunity, coming here to distribute deadly drugs and terrorize American citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “That ends now.”
Tren de Aragua’s reach into Texas is particularly concerning given the number of recent arrests. Just this month, dozens of TdA members were taken into custody near Austin.
Earlier this year, federal authorities arrested ringleaders in a TdA-run sex trafficking operation in Houston. In another recent case, a TdA member reportedly under investigation for murder was captured in San Antonio.
“TdA is a direct threat to our national security, to our communities, and to Americans,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI continues in our pursuit to eliminate this violent terrorist organization from our streets,” The indictment of the Tren de Aragua leader in Houston is part of a broader federal initiative, Operation Take Back America, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and dismantling transnational criminal networks.