Three of the gang members are at large and for whom the State Department has offered up to $ 20,000 as a reward for information about their whereabouts. Meanwhile, the rest of the suspects in El Salvador are in police custody, a statement said.
The United States Department of Justice on Thursday revealed allegations against 14 leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13 in Central Islip, New York State, which they believe led the group’s criminal activities and violence around the world during approximately two decades.
According to a statement to the press, the 14 members, who form a group known today as Ranfla Nacional, are charged with conspiring to provide material to support terrorists, conspiring to commit terrorist acts outside the United States, and conspiring to commit terrorism. and to fund narcoterrorism from El Salvador, Mexico and the United States.
Among the defendants is Borromeo Enrique Henríquez, aka “Diablito de Hollywood,” who is considered the most powerful member of Ranfla Nacional, the report said.
Borromeo Henríquez, aka “Little Devil of Hollywood”. Photo / archive
Among the 14, there are also three more members who are still at large, of whom the Justice Department has offered a reward of $ 20,000 for information that can help locate and arrest them: Fredy Iván Jandres-Parada, aka ” Lucky de Park View “And” Lacky from Park View “; César Humberto López-Larios, aka “El Grenas de Stoners” and “Oso de Stoners”; and Hugo Armando Quinteros-Mineros, aka “Flaco de Francis”.
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The remaining 11 defendants are in custody in El Salvador, but US authorities said they are “investigating” options for extraditing them to the country.
In the case of the ‘Hollywood Devil’, he received two convictions in the country in various court proceedings in December 2019, the first to 30 years in prison and another for 39 more. During the proceedings, other leaders were also convicted of murders, money laundering and terrorist organizations, among others.
“However, the charges announced today (Thursday) are the highest and most comprehensive against MS-13 and its control structure in US history,” said the acting US Attorney General. .UU., Jeffrey Rosen.
“Working with our fellow US security forces and colleagues in El Salvador, we have accused the most senior MS-13 officials of leading a transnational criminal organization that uses terror to enforce its will. to innocent neighborhoods, businesses and citizens in the US and Central America, ”he added.
For his part, the acting prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, Seth DuCharme, recalled that MS-13 is responsible for “a wave of death and violence that has terrorized communities,” particularly that of the Long Island region. in the eastern part of New York state.
“Even in prison, the National Ranfla continued to lead MS-13’s global operations, recruiting new members including children … and orchestrating massacres and creating chaos around the world,” added DuCharme.
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The indictment alleges that around 2002, these 14 members and other leaders of the MS-13 began to establish a highly organized and hierarchical leadership with the aim of putting their decisions into practice even in prison.
The FBI has released the images of the suspected justice fugitives for whom they offer a reward. from left to right: Fredy Ivan Jandres-Parada, César Humberto López-Larios and Hugo Armando Quinteros-Mineros. Photos / fbi.gov
For example, they led violent acts and killings in El Salvador, the United States and other countries, setting up military-style training camps for their members and confiscating weapons such as rifles, grenades, pistols, rocket launchers and explosives. improvised.
In addition, the National Ranfla has set a strict set of rules for the members of the MS-13 to ensure their loyalty, while at the same time using their power over the government of El Salvador through acts of violence and intimidation against Salvadoran officials. This prompted the group to order the murder of some of them and members of the country’s law enforcement agencies.
The indictment comes after then-US Attorney General William Barr created a special division in 2019 to combat MS-13 following President Donald Trump’s 2017 order to combat organized crime. and enhance the security of the American population.
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