Eight leaders of the MS were presented this Wednesday by the authorities after being accused of having ordered the rise in homicides registered on a weekend in November last year and being implicated in the murder of a soldier.
The gang members were arrested in two police interventions, “one in Lourdes, Colón and the other in the Italia District [in Tonacatepeque],” — as said by the director of the National Civil Police, Mauricio Arriaza Chicas.
The official explained that among the detainees are Josué Daniel Viches, alias El Patron, José Antonio García, alias El Sapo and Elmer Antonio Merino Peña, alias Tamagas, who are the offenders in the Lourdes area. Furthermore, Manuel de Jess Cubas Ramrez, alias El Chiqui, Gerardo Antonino lvarez Girón, alias El Delincuente, and Ricardo Ernesto Portillo Hernández, alias El Skiny or Danger, were arrested.
The authorities said that the detainees are accused of various crimes, including murder, extortion, deprivation of liberty, and terrorist organizations.
“Thanks to information from human sources, these dangerous criminals have been captured, and they will be placed at the disposal of the Prosecutor’s Office to face justice,” — explained Arriaza Chicas.
The authorities specified that these leaders ordered the staggered violence committed between November 9 and November 11 of last year.
According to police statistics, the staggered violence caused more than 40 homicides. On November 9, there were 13 homicides. The following day, 22 violent acts were registered, and on Thursday, November 11, there were 12 cases. However, the authorities assured that the crime streak was contained on Friday the 12th, thanks to the fact that the authorities launched the deployment of national security ordered by President Nayib Bukele.
“All these captured subjects go directly to the Zacatraz dungeons. We are not going to forgive them or allow them to continue issuing orders cowardly from their cell phones, as they are also related to disappearances and the death of an element of the army,” said the Minister of Security , Gustavo Villatoro.
The current government has stood out since the security strategy, called the “Territorial Control Plan” which seeks to stop the actions of criminal groups, has been reduced, homicides, extortion, among other crimes.
One of the achievements of this government has been the significant reduction in homicides in recent years, contrary to the security plans implemented by the last four governments that failed to eradicate homicidal violence in El Salvador; On the contrary, in the last 20 years, citizens suffered a wave of deaths similar to that of the civil war, with 70,948 people killed, according to the police.