Authorities have seized more than $1.1 million obtained from gangs for extorting Salvadorans

Public security authorities in El Salvador have seized more than $1 million from gang groups, which was obtained through extortion against merchants and families throughout the national territory, according to official figures from the Ministry of Security.

In total, to date, authorities have seized $1,188,374 from gang structures throughout the country, money that was illicitly obtained through extortion, of which many families and merchants in El Salvador were victims.

These seizures are added to the 543 vehicles, 11,367 cell phones, and $241,310 in drugs, mainly cocaine, marijuana, crack, and methamphetamine, which the authorities have also counted to date, largely due to the efforts made in the execution of the Territorial Control Plan and in the framework of the exception regime still in force in the country.

In this same context, the National Civil Police (PNC), in operations carried out jointly with the Armed Forces of El Salvador (FAES), has also seized 1,283 firearms of different calibers: 622 pistols, 259 revolvers, 26 machine guns, 211 shotguns, and 7 grenades, among others.

Finally, within the context of the emergency regime, a total of 49,835 active gang members and collaborators have been counted throughout the country, many of whom are already facing criminal proceedings and have been sent to various penal centers throughout the country.

All these results are also supported by the more than 170 days with zero homicides that have been registered in El Salvador since 2019, with the beginning of the presidential administration of Nayib Bukele. So far in August 2022, 10 days with zero homicides have been recorded, maintaining a positive trend that placed last July as the safest in the history of El Salvador.

July 2022 recorded a total of 21 days with zero homicides, being the safest in the entire recent history of the country. The official data of the police corporation indicates that the days with zero homicides in the month of July were: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 , 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30 and 31.

This positive statistic is registered within the framework of the exceptional regime, approved on March 27 by the Legislative Assembly in response to the latest rise in homicides that has been registered in the country.

The exception regime continues in force in El Salvador after the Legislative Branch extended it for a fourth time due to the positive results that have been presented in public security in Salvadoran territory.

In addition, this positive security statistic continues to be the result of the execution of the Territorial Control Plan, the security strategy promoted by the Government of El Salvador, chaired by Nayib Bukele, to combat delinquency and criminality.