Two hundred and forty-eight members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 1,335 years after being found guilty of a series of crimes committed between 2014 and 2022 in the department of La Libertad, El Salvador.
The sentences cover aggravated homicide, forced disappearances, aggravated femicide, extortion, drug trafficking, and illegal occupation of properties, as part of the government’s offensive against gangs under the state of emergency in effect since March 2022. This legal action represents one of the most significant blows against organized crime in the Central American country.
The Attorney General’s Office of El Salvador stated on social media that the 248 gang members, mostly belonging to the Teclas Locos Salvatruchos (TLS) clique and other associated factions, were responsible for 43 aggravated homicides, 42 disappearances of persons, three aggravated femicides, 86 cases of extortion, 29 conspiracies in homicide, 32 processes for preparatory acts in illicit trafficking and five illegal occupations of properties, in addition to other crimes linked to illicit groups.
