In first known transfer of Tren de Aragua member from Colombia, DOJ brings suspected leader to US on terrorism charges

Published May 15, 2026 1:57pm ET | Updated May 15, 2026 4:13pm ET



A suspected top leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was extradited from Colombia to the United States on Thursday, marking the first known transfer of a TdA member from Colombia to face terrorism-related charges in federal court.

Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, a 24-year-old Venezuelan national known as “Chuqui,” was set to appear Friday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan in Houston federal court after arriving in Texas following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation, the Justice Department said in a press release.

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