Senior MS-13 Leader Arrested in Texas After Three Years on the Run

In a significant achievement for law enforcement, a high-ranking leader of the notorious MS-13 criminal gang, Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, was arrested in Texas after more than three years on the run from law enforcement. Lopez-Larios, also known as "Grenas de Stoners" and "Oso de Stoners," was arrested by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Charges and Legal Proceedings

Lopez-Larios has been charged with conspiracy to provide and conceal material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, conspiracy to finance terrorism, and narco-terrorism conspiracy. He appeared in federal court in Houston and has been ordered to be transferred to the custody of the Eastern District of New York where he faces charges along with 13 other MS-13 leaders, for directing the transnational criminal organization’s criminal activities in the U.S., El Salvador, Mexico, and elsewhere over the past two decades.

Law Enforcement Statements

“The arrest of Lopez-Larios, who is one of the most senior leaders of MS-13 in the world, is a significant achievement for law enforcement and another crucial step in the dismantling of this international criminal enterprise," said United States Attorney Breon Peace. FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge Krysti Hawkins added, "Now that Mr. Lopez-Larios is behind bars, he's no longer in his alleged position of power directing a reign of terror, nor enriching MS-13 and their cartel associates."

Upcoming Legal Proceedings

"The defendant will soon face a reckoning in a federal courtroom on Long Island where, acting on his orders, MS-13 has spilled so much blood and turned communities into war zones," Peace stated. Lopez-Larios is expected to be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York.