An MS-13 gang member in El Salvador has been sentenced to 1,335 years in prison, one of the longest sentences ever issued in the country, as authorities intensify a sweeping crackdown on organized crime under President Nayib Bukele.
According to CBS News, more than 240 members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang have received sentences totaling hundreds of years in prison for crimes including homicide, forced disappearances, extortion, and conspiracy. Salvadoran prosecutors said the convictions stem from dozens of killings and disappearances committed between 2014 and 2022.
One defendant, identified as Marvin Abel Hernández Palacios, received a sentence of 1,335 years. Ten other MS-13 members were sentenced to between 463 and 958 years, according to the country’s attorney general’s office.
In a series of statements published on social media, El Salvador’s Fiscalía General de la República said 248 gang members tied to multiple MS-13 cliques were convicted for at least 43 cases of aggravated homicide, 42 cases of forced disappearance, three cases of aggravated femicide, and dozens of extortion offenses.
The attorney general’s office said the crimes included the killing and disappearance of students and civilians, as well as the murder of professional soccer player Claudia Jimena Granados in 2021. Prosecutors said gang members operated territorial bases used to plan killings and to extort local businesses.
The convictions come amid El Salvador’s ongoing state of emergency, imposed in March 2022, which grants security forces expanded powers to detain suspects without warrants. Since then, more than 90,000 people have been arrested, though authorities say roughly 8,000 detainees have been released after being cleared of wrongdoing.
President Bukele’s security strategy — heavily backed by military and police deployments — has driven homicide rates to historic lows, according to official figures. However, human rights organizations have accused security forces of arbitrary arrests and abuses during the crackdown.
El Salvador’s government says MS-13 and rival gang Barrio 18 were responsible for roughly 200,000 deaths over three decades and once controlled much of the country. The gangs’ dominance and violence played a significant role in driving migration from Central America to the United States.
MS-13 originated in Los Angeles during the 1980s before spreading across Central America. Earlier this year, the U.S. designated the gang a terrorist organization, citing its transnational reach and extreme violence.
