HOUSTON – Two Venezuelan nationals, alleged members of the recently designated foreign terrorist group Tren de Aragua (TdA), have been arrested on federal charges related to international drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jesus Miguel Barreto Lezama, 29, residing in Houston, made his first federal court appearance there, while Briley Jesus Ballera Farias, aka Derek, 32, was arrested March 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he appeared before a judge.
A federal grand jury indictment issued on January 29 accuses both men of participating in a conspiracy to import over five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Venezuela and Colombia. Additionally, Barreto Lezama is charged with importing nearly five kilograms of cocaine from Colombia between June 26 and July 3, 2024.
If convicted, they face up to life in prison and a maximum fine of $10 million.
The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led the investigation, with support from the Colombian National Police. The FBI-Houston Safe Streets Gang Task Force, assisted by Houston Police Department, DEA, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Marshals Service, carried out the Houston arrest.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz, alongside Trial Attorney David C. Smith from the Department of Justice’s Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV).
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, a DOJ initiative aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, securing the U.S. border, and reducing violent crime. It integrates efforts from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Additionally, the prosecution aligns with Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), established in 2019 to dismantle MS-13 and now expanded to target TdA. The JTFV coalition includes multiple U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and Homeland Security Investigations (ICE).
