The government of President Nayib Bukele confirmed last Saturday, December 3, that in the war against gangs, technological equipment is being used to locate and capture gang members who are cornered in various neighborhoods of that municipality.
The National Civil Police (PNC) and the Unmanned Aerial Patrol for Observation and Monitoring Team (PANTOS) maintain a permanent presence to close all exits to gang members that, since the beginning of the emergency regime on March 27, 2022, have hidden so as not to be captured and imprisoned.
“With the use of drones and state-of-the-art armored vehicles equipped with modern electronic systems, security units comb every inch of Soyapango in search of hidden terrorists,” the government reported through a statement published by the Presidential Press Secretary. of the Republic.
In Soyapango, which is the second most populous city in the San Salvador metropolitan area and the third in the country, with some 300,000 inhabitants, 8,500 soldiers and 1,500 police officers have been deployed and have taken up positions at 40 strategic points.
As of yesterday, Thursday, officials from the security cabinet confirmed the capture of 275 gang members from Mara Salvatrucha and Pandilla 18, who have already been placed under the order of the Attorney General’s Office to initiate criminal proceedings for illegal groups and other crimes.
As part of this modernization in the use of technology to win the war against the gangs, the government delivered in the last few hours 1,300 ballistic helmets, 2,000 ballistic plates (bulletproof shields), 184 tactical cameras, and headphones to personnel carrying out Phase Five of the Territorial Control Plan. As reported, only $1.1 million has been invested in the acquisition of new equipment.
On November 23, President Nayib Bukele announced Phase 5 of the Territorial Control Plan, called Extraction, which consists of removing every last gang member from the neighborhoods, cantons, and hamlets.
“Phase 5, which has been designed for more than three years, is the Extraction Phase, which is, once the territories are controlled, we are going to extract the terrorists from those places,” the president announced.
“With the entry into force of the emergency regime, since last March 27, 59,307 gang members have been captured nationwide. These arrests have resulted in peace of mind in the country since territorial control is now exercised by the State,” according to the government report.
After being arrested, the gang members were transferred to various prisons, where they faced their first hearing virtually.
More than 54,000 members of these terrorist structures and collaborators who have already faced a hearing have been detained according to the resolutions issued by the specialized investigative courts.