Accused Gulf Cartel hitman crossed into Texas, gruesome evidence found on phone

 McALLEN, Texas — A 21-year-old Mexican man accused of working as a hitman for the Gulf Cartel has been indicted on federal terrorism-related charges after authorities say evidence found on his phone connected him to kidnappings and killings in Mexico.

Jose Flores-Flores, of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, is charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to provide that support and illegally reentering the United States.

Thanks to President Trump designating certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, federal law enforcement now has a whole new arsenal of legal tools to dismantle their activities,” said U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz. “Flores-Flores in just one defendant today. But under the leadership of President Trump and Attorney General Blanche, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas is on the very forefront of Making America Safe Again through the destruction and dismantling of these terrorist cartels.

Federal authorities said Flores-Flores was among three people Border Patrol agents encountered near Mission on July 10. Agents discovered he had previously been removed from the United States and began looking further into his background.

Investigators say that led them to Flores-Flores' alleged connection to the Gulf Cartel, which the United States designated a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025.

U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz said investigators searched Flores-Flores' phone and found disturbing images and video that allegedly showed him dismembering a body, along with images of human remains and a barrel containing burning body parts.

Reitz said Flores-Flores admitted during questioning that he had worked for the Gulf Cartel for about a year and identified himself as a “sicario,” or hitman. According to prosecutors, his work included patrolling an assigned area in Reynosa, watching Mexican military and law enforcement activity and monitoring rival cartels.

Prosecutors also accuse Flores-Flores of kidnapping people targeted by the cartel. The indictment alleges he would receive names or photographs of people, abduct them and turn them over to higher-ranking cartel members.

Authorities say he also dismembered at least two people on the outskirts of Reynosa.

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol Chief Jared Ashby said information uncovered during the investigation also led authorities to a suspected site in Mexico where three sets of human remains were found. The victims have not been identified.

Federal authorities said they do not know why Flores-Flores entered the United States in July or what he intended to do after crossing the border.

“We can't speculate on what motivated him to come over the border,” Reitz said.

The case is significant because prosecutors are using the Gulf Cartel's designation as a foreign terrorist organization to pursue charges that would not have previously been available for the alleged cartel activity.

Reitz said this is the third case in the Southern District of Texas involving charges of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and the first involving the Gulf Cartel.

The Gulf Cartel operates primarily in northeastern Mexico and has been linked to drug trafficking, human smuggling, kidnapping and extortion.

Flores-Flores remains in federal custody and is expected to be arraigned before a federal magistrate judge.