CREDIT: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
San Salvador – 19 November 2024
Authorities in El Salvador have confirmed the arrest of Alejandro Gonzales, a suspected senior operative within the notorious MS-13 gang, on charges ranging from drug trafficking to multiple counts of homicide. Gonzales, who is believed to have played a leading role in overseeing the gang’s narcotics logistics across Central America, was taken into custody following a coordinated operation by national police and military intelligence units near the outskirts of Santa Ana.
Officials have described Gonzales as a key figure within the Fulton Locos Salvatrucha clique — one of the more structured and transnationally active MS-13 factions. He had long been under surveillance, according to sources within El Salvador’s Policia Nacional Civil, after intelligence linked him to a string of enforcement killings in the western departments and border zones with Guatemala. Authorities suspect Gonzales acted as a key intermediary between regional drug distributors and MS-13 leadership figures operating out of the United States.
His arrest follows months of increased pressure on gang networks by the Bukele administration, which has escalated military-led crackdowns and expanded the use of pre-trial detention. Gonzales, 34, was apprehended without incident, though security officials stated that weapons and encrypted communication devices were recovered at the site of his arrest.
He now faces a slate of charges including trafficking of narcotics, illegal possession of military-grade firearms, and conspiracy to commit murder. Investigators have also opened a parallel inquiry into potential links between Gonzales and the cross-border movement of cocaine shipments, though no formal charges have been filed in connection with those suspicions.
Salvadoran security services have flagged Gonzales as a high-risk detainee. Officials cited documented communications between Gonzales and MS-13 affiliates in Los Angeles, Maryland, and northern Virginia — reinforcing concerns about his continued influence over US-based cliques. Sources within the Attorney General’s office described the arrest as “significant” but warned that “external networks remain operational.”
International observers, including representatives from US Homeland Security and regional intelligence partners, are reportedly monitoring the case closely. It remains unclear whether Gonzales will face extradition to the United States, though legal experts suggest any transfer would be delayed by the severity of charges brought against him within El Salvador’s jurisdiction.
Gonzales is currently being held in a high-security facility outside San Salvador pending formal indictment.
