TdA was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the administration and has been a focus of efforts to crack down on both crime and illegal immigration.
On June 12, President Donald Trump announced that a U.S. "lethal kinetic" killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as "the infamous leader" of TdA.
Authorities charged Guerrero Flores with racketeering conspiracy and aiding terrorists in crimes that stretch back more than a decade. The charges were announced back in December. At the time, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said that the gang is responsible for violence, extortion and drug trafficking in North America, South America and Europe.
Shortly after this announcement, Trump nominated Clayton to be Director of National Intelligence. On June 17, however, Trump said he was delaying the nomination of Clayton to lead the U.S. intelligence community in a bid to force Congress to act on a voter identification bill.
On May 15, a suspected high-ranking leader of TdA was extradited from Colombia to the United States and is facing terrorism-related charges in what federal officials described as a first-of-its-kind prosecution targeting the transnational criminal organization.
Jose Enrique “Chuqui” Martinez Flores, 24, is set to appear in federal court in Houston after Colombian authorities arrested him earlier this year at the request of the United States, according to the Department of Justice.
Patel said the case marked the first time an alleged member of TdA was extradited to the U.S. on terrorism-related charges.
Federal prosecutors alleged Martinez Flores was part of the “inner circle” of TdA leadership in Bogotá, where he oversaw criminal operations including drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution and murder. If convicted, Martinez Flores faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine.
Three additional alleged TdA leaders were also charged in the case but remain fugitives:
- Yohan Jose Romero, also known as “Johan Petrica,” 48
- Juan Gabriel Rivas Nunez, also known as “Juancho,” 45
- Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, also known as “El Viejo,” 38
Federal authorities said Mosquera Serrano is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The State Department is offering rewards of up to $4 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Romero and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Mosquera Serrano.
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