No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeLatin AmericaCentral AmericaEl Salvador Arrests the 9th of 15 Mara Salvatrucha Gang Leaders

El Salvador Arrests the 9th of 15 Mara Salvatrucha Gang Leaders

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, announced Wednesday the arrest of the ninth of 15 leaders of the violent Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) in the framework of a “war” against gangs that accumulates 50,576 arrests.

“We captured the ninth chair (jefatura), of the 15 that the MS-13 had in its structure,” Bukele announced on Twitter.

This is Byron Aristides Salazar, alias Sleepy, who as a member of the “national ranfla (command)” of MS-13, is “one of the keys that directed the operation of the 430 clicas (cells) at the national level,” the president said.

The director of the National Civil Police (PNC), Mauricio Arriaza, reported that Sleepy was arrested in a community in Santa Ana, some 60 km west of San Salvador.

Defense Minister René Merino reported that Salazar was seized an M-72 “anti-tank rocket launcher,” an M-16 rifle and two pistols.

For the Minister of Security, Gustavo Villatoro, the 15-member MS-13 command controls “31 programs (regions)” and 430 cliques, and is also “responsible for all the blood crimes of the last 10 years” so “there are more than 125,000 families who need justice in this country”.

The authorities of El Salvador have been carrying out massive detentions since March 27 when an exception regime was approved, which allows arrests without a warrant, declared in response to an escalation of violence that claimed the lives of 87 people from March 25 to 27.

Among the main achievements presented by the government of the emergency regime, which has been extended until the end of September, is the drastic decrease in homicides and extortions.

The massive detentions are questioned by organizations such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch and even the US diplomacy has called on the Salvadoran government to respect human rights, due to reports of detentions of innocent people.

Of the 50,576 gang members detained, 68.9% belong to the Mara Salvatrucha.

With the exception regime, the number of prisoners accused of gang membership has risen from 16,000 to 66,000. According to the latest government estimate, these gangs have 76,000 members, both imprisoned and free.

To house part of the detainees, Bukele ordered the construction of a gigantic prison for 40,000 gang members in a rural area in the center of the country, which should be ready in December.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Tourism Minister Dismisses Crime and Currency Concerns

Tourism Minister William Rodríguez López addressed growing concerns about crime and the strengthening colón’s impact on Costa Rica’s tourism industry, asserting that these issues...

Costa Rica’s 2025 Flamingo Fishing Rodeo Highlights Sport and Conservation

With great fishing and a renewed focus on family fun, the Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo presented by Marina Flamingo is set to take center stage in the world...

Costa Rica Continues Investigation into Miller Gardner’s Death

Costa Rican authorities are still investigating the tragic death of Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, nearly...

Panama Arrests Banana Union Leader After Chiquita Strike Ends

Panamanian authorities arrested Francisco Smith, leader of the banana workers’ union SITRAIBANA, accusing him of orchestrating road blockades during a six-week strike against Chiquita...

Former Nicaraguan President Violeta Chamorro Dies in San José at 95

Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, Nicaragua’s first female president and a key figure in ending her country’s civil war, passed away peacefully this morning in...

Nicaragua Pulls Out of UN Refugee Agency, Citing Bias

Nicaragua announced that it is withdrawing from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), accusing the agency of making “biased” statements about Nicaraguans...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica