HOUSTON – Federal prosecutors in Houston are taking aim at the top leadership of Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang the U.S. government now labels a foreign terrorist organization.
A federal grand jury in Houston has unsealed a six-count indictment charging four Venezuelan nationals, including two men authorities say are among the gang’s highest leaders, with terrorism-related offenses and international drug trafficking. The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Recommended Videos
Prosecutors allege the defendants helped move large amounts of cocaine toward the United States, including through Texas, and sent the profits back to support Tren de Aragua’s operations in Venezuela.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said the charges show how seriously Houston-based prosecutors are treating international criminal groups that impact local communities.
“Tren de Aragua poses a direct threat to our national security and to our communities,” Ganjei said.
Those charged include Yohan Jose Romero, also known as Johan Petrica, 48, and Juan Gabriel Rivas Nunez, also known as Juancho, 44, along with Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, also known as El Viejo, 37, and Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, also known as Chuqui, 24. Prosecutors say Mosquera Serrano and Martinez Flores also played a role in an international cocaine trafficking operation involving drugs destined for the U.S.
Court records filed in Houston describe Romero as one of the gang’s founders who allegedly directed crimes ranging from drug trafficking and extortion to kidnappings and murders. Mosquera Serrano is accused of overseeing operations across Colombia, Central America and the United States.
The investigation is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Houston Field Office, along with the DEA and international partners.
Martinez Flores was arrested in Colombia in March and remains in custody there. Mosquera Serrano is on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, while Romero and Rivas Nunez remain at large.
The U.S. Department of State is offering rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of some of the suspects.
If convicted, all four face up to life in prison and fines of up to $10 million.