U.S. authorities have captured the MS-13 top leader for the U.S. East Coast, 24-year-old Salvadoran national Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, the FBI announced on Thursday.
Officials captured Santos in Woodbridge, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C., and charged him with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. He is one of the top three leaders of the MS-13 gang in the U.S., they said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel watched the arrest unfold from a nearby tactical operations center. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and senior DOJ official Emil Bove were also present.
“They executed a clean, safe operation and the bad guys in custody. And thanks to the FBI, we got one of the worst of the worst of the MS-13 off the streets this morning. Virginia and the country is a lot safer today,” Bondi told Fox News following the arrest.
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The operation included the FBI joined by the Prince William County Police Department, ATF, ICE, and the Virginia State Police. Authorities found a 9mm handgun, plus three other firearms, ammunition and two suppressors in Villatoro’s bedroom, according to court documents.
Officers deployed a stun grenade when Villatoro did not comply with demands to exit the home, according to an affidavit. Villatoro’s mother’s home, where the arrest took place, had been surveilled by FBI agents throughout the month of March.
Agents observed “indicia of MS-13 association in Villatoro’s bedroom,” the affidavit said.
“Great job by Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Tom HOMAN, and Kristi N, on the capture of MS13 leader – A big deal!” President Donald Trump wrote on social media.
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Patel also praised law enforcement officers for conducting a safe operation.
“This is what can happen when you put good cops in good places to take on bad guys. And America should be watching this. And we are proud to be here standing with these brave warriors,” Patel said.
Thursday’s operation is only the latest targeting top-level members of gangs and drug-trafficking rings operating in the U.S.
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The FBI has arrested three individuals on its top 10 most wanted list in the past two months alone.
Trump’s administration has deported several top members of MS-13 to El Salvador for incarceration.
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