MS-13 Leader Arrested and Charged with Firearm Possession

A 24-year-old El Salvadoran man, Henrry Josue Villatoro, has been arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm, hours after federal officials raided his home in Virginia. Villatoro, who is alleged to be a leader of the MS-13 international criminal gang, made a brief court appearance in Alexandria, Virginia, where he faced a charge of firearm possession by an alien.

According to federal prosecutors, law enforcement officials found evidence of MS-13 association in Villatoro's bedroom during the raid. However, the prosecutors made no further references to MS-13 or Villatoro's alleged leadership role in court papers. Instead, they focused on the fact that Villatoro was in the country illegally and therefore not allowed to own guns.

In a press conference, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described Villatoro as one of the top three leaders of the Salvadoran MS-13 gang living illegally in the United States. Bondi alleged that Villatoro was recruited by the gang at an early age and headed the gang's operation on the East Coast. "The bad guy is in jail," Bondi said. “America is safer today because of one of the top domestic terrorists in MS-13 ... is off the streets.”

Villatoro has been ordered to be kept in custody until an April 1 hearing. The arrest and charges come amid a broader crackdown on MS-13, with more than a dozen members indicted in 2020 on terrorism charges related to organized crime in the U.S., Mexico, and El Salvador. Earlier this month, the U.S. dropped charges against another MS-13 leader, Cesar Lopez-Larios, in order to deport him to El Salvador as part of a deal with the country's President Nayib Bukele.