The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a “high-ranking’ MS-13 leader in New York. The MS-13 leader is allegedly linked to 11 murders.
In a Wednesday press release, the Justice Department said, “Last night, a high-ranking leader of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, was arrested in New York for his alleged role in a conspiracy responsible for 11 murders.”
The Justice Department identified the MS-13 leader as Joel Vargas-Escobar and explained that he was indicted in the District of Nevada and charged with a racketeering conspiracy involving 11 murders. The Justice Department added that Vargas-Escobar was also charged with gun charges and two counts of murder-in-aid of racketeering.
According to the Justice Department, the MS-13 leader was previously deported to El Salvador before illegally re-entering the United States.
“The American people are safer following the arrest of yet another MS-13 leader thanks to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Joint Task Force Vulcan,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “This terrorist entered our country illegally and is accused of orchestrating 11 murders — under President Trump’s leadership, we will not rest until this terrorist organization is completely dismantled and its members are behind bars.”
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The Justice Department claimed that Vargas-Escobar and his co-defendants were part of MS-14’s “command and control structure” in California and Las Vegas. The indictment against Vargas Escobar charges him as the “leader of the Parkview clique of MS-13 in Las Vegas,” which is believed to have committed 11 murders in roughly a year. Vargas-Escobar is accused of “personally ordering” the murders of two victims and “orchestrating” nine additional murders.
“The arrest of yet another violent and dangerous MS-13 leader is a major win for our FBI agents, law enforcement partners, and safer American streets,” FBI Director Kash Patel said. “Our agents and analysts are continuously coordinating across multiple field offices and investigating with our valued partners to keep this work going — and we will not stop until that work is done.”
In the press release, the Justice Department confirmed that Vargas-Escobar appeared before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York – Central Islip on Wednesday, where a judge ordered him to be detained and transferred to the District of Nevada for trial. If convicted, the MS-13 leader could face a mandatory sentence of life in prison, according to the Justice Department.
© American Military News
