There’s a first time for everything…

And today, the Department of Justice made a first-of-its-kind indictment against a leader of the violent Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, charging him as a terrorist.

This follows President Trump designating the TdA gang as a terrorist organization.

Specifically, 24-year-old Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, a.k.a. “Chiqui,” is facing charges of conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

BREAKING: For the first time ever, the DOJ is charging a top member of Tren de Aragua with terrorism. This isn’t just a gang—it’s a foreign-backed terror network run by the Maduro regime. Cocaine, violence, human smuggling. It ends now. pic.twitter.com/z499eaQqY5

— Erica Knight (@_EricaKnight) April 23, 2025

BREAKING: The Department of Justice INDICTS a high up Tren de Aragua member on terrorism charges for the first time. pic.twitter.com/WftxnpfoY0

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 23, 2025

AG Pam Bondi released a statement, calling the indictment an “inflection point in how this Department of Justice wil prosecute and ultimately dismantle this evil organization.”

Full statement here:

High-Ranking Tren de Aragua Member in Custody on Terrorism and International Drug Distribution Charges

Case Marks First Instance of TdA Member Charged with Terrorism Related Crimes

: https://t.co/TmHFpCoKkn pic.twitter.com/1wXCHevpCM

— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) April 23, 2025

FBI Director Kash Patel also commented:

High-Ranking Tren de Aragua Member in Custody on Terrorism and International Drug Distribution Charges https://t.co/B79L7ZgbSb @FBIHouston pic.twitter.com/a2NfECHXMc

— FBI (@FBI) April 23, 2025

More details from Fox News:

The Justice Department is charging a high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua on terrorism and international drug distribution charges—the first time the U.S. government is using terrorism charges to prosecute a member of the violent gang.

A five-count superseding indictment was unsealed Wednesday, and first obtained by Fox News Digital, charging 24-year-old Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, also known as “Chuqui,” with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Flores is allegedly a high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua, who allegedly serves as a Plaza Boss in Bogota, Colombia. He is allegedly a part of the inner circle of senior Tren de Aragua leadership, Fox News Digital has learned.

Flores was also charged with conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States.

“TdA is not a street gang—it is a highly structured terrorist organization that put down roots in our country during the prior administration,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News Digital. “Today’s charges represent an inflection point in how this Department of Justice will prosecute and ultimately dismantle this evil organization, which has destroyed American families and poisoned our communities.”

FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital that Tren de Aragua is a “violent arm of the Maduro regime operating inside our borders.”

“With these charges, we are using every available tool to confront them as the transnational threat they are,” Patel told Fox News Digital. “From drug trafficking and human smuggling to brutal violence, this group has inflicted chaos on American communities.”

Patel added: “Today’s indictment is a critical step in dismantling their network and holding its members accountable.”

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport.

View the original article here.