One of the founders of the Mara Salvatrucha, César Humberto López Larios, alias Stoners Greñaswas captured in Chiapas, Mexico, and sent to the United States, where he is wanted by the court of the Eastern District of New York for acts of terrorism, reported on Tuesday the US Department of Justice.
López Larios is one of the highest-ranking leaders of MS-13, a member of the leadership structure of the Twelve Apostles of the Devil and the National Ranfla of MS-13, with a presence in El Salvador, Mexico and the United States. .
He was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on June 9, when he arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, after being expelled by Mexican authorities to that country.
“The arrest of López-Larios, one of the most senior MS-13 leaders in the world, is a significant achievement for law enforcement and another crucial step in dismantling this international criminal enterprise,” stated the Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, in a release.
With this capture, the United States now has 7 of the 27 MS-13 leaders accused of acts of terrorism. That is, practically a quarter of its capture objectives. Of the 27, 14 are founding members of the criminal organization and the rest direct criminal operations in several countries.
The United States Department of Justice began the process against the gang in 2020. Since then, it has captured seven leaders outside the Salvadoran borders.
“Now that Mr. López-Larios is behind bars, he is no longer in his supposed position of power directing a reign of terror, nor enriching MS-13 and its cartel associates,” added FBI Acting Deputy Director Krysti Hawkins.
The Eastern District Court of New York issued a federal arrest warrant for Shock on December 16, 2020, after he was accused of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, conspiracy to finance terrorism and narco-terrorist conspiracy.
MS-13 was declared an “international criminal organization” by the US in 2012 and “terrorist organization” by El Salvador in 2015. The US Department of Justice had already prosecuted MS-13 under the RICO Act.
During President Barack Obama’s administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintained MS-13 as a national security threat.
In the era of former President Donald Trump, the US Attorney General’s Office accused for the first time of terrorism to an MS-13 gang member, Eliú Melgar Díaz, alias “Gangster Blue.” Since then, he has maintained a persecution against the rest of the highest-ranking members.
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