In the early hours of Friday, the Attorney General’s Office of El Salvador, in coordination with the National Civil Police, launched a major anti-narcotics operation aimed at dismantling a criminal network operating in the western region of the country and in the capital.
Authorities reported that the intervention is the result of over a year of investigations and led to the capture of several individuals linked to three drug trafficking cells active in different parts of the country. Among the main suspects arrested are José Alfredo Escobar Gil, Sara Georgina Hernández, Fredis Antonio Anaya Orellana, and Fátima Lisset Callejas Tejada, identified as leaders of the organization. They will face charges for the crime of drug trafficking.
“We have struck a significant blow against one of the key structures involved in drug distribution at the national level,” said a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office.
Twelve additional individuals, already imprisoned in various correctional facilities, will be formally notified of their implication in the case, adding to the list of accused.
As part of the operation, 18 raids were conducted in the departments of La Libertad, Santa Ana, Ciudad Arce, and San Salvador. With support from K9 units, police seized narcotics, mobile phones, cash, a firearm, and other evidence that will be essential in strengthening the judicial process.
Other detainees include Salvador Antonio Ángel Espinoza, José Manuel Barahona Ángel, Walter Isaías Guevara Vásquez, Néstor Enrique Tobar Castro, Jaime Alexander Escalón Velásquez, José Mario Rodríguez Cano, Héctor Rafael Centeno Martínez, Estela de los Ángeles Ramos Cruz, Rina Griselda López, Steven Emanuel López, Ana del Carmen Osegueda López, and Erika Cecilia López.