In an unprecedented move, the Justice Department has announced that they indicted a leader of the violent Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, and he will face terrorism and international drug distribution charges.
This is the first time the DOJ has brought terrorism charges against a member of the newly-designated foreign terrorist organization.
FBI Director Kash Patel called the first-of-its-kind indictment on terrorism charges “a critical step in dismantling their network and holding its members accountable.”
As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day designating violent groups and drug cartels such as MS-13, TdA, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
This comes as the Trump administration faces legal battles and far-left judges blocking the deportation of TdA terrorists under the Alien Enemies Act.
Fox News obtained a five-count superseding indictment against Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, 24, a reported high-ranking member of TdA, who goes by the name “Chiqui.”
He is charged with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy, and Cocaine distribution.
Flores was arrested by Colombian authorities last month at the United States’ request.
Per Fox:
“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 developing story.
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