The federal government is offering a $5 million reward for information that leads to the arrest of Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) leader Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías, who operates a branch of the gang from Honduras.
According to the Department of State, Archaga Carías was first charged in 2021, and the clique leader is believed to be hiding out in Honduras:
Today we are announcing a reward offer of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías, also known as “Porky” or Alex Mendoza, for conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in transnational organized crime. This announcement complements a U.S. Department of Justice criminal indictment, which charged Archaga Carías in 2021 with conspiracy to violate the racketeering laws of the United States, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, and possession of a machine gun in relation to a drug-trafficking crime.
Archaga Carías is the highest-ranking member of Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) in Honduras and is responsible for directing the gang’s criminal activities including drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, kidnappings, and other violent crimes. Archaga Carías is also responsible for the gang’s importation of large amounts of cocaine into the United States.
This announcement is an element of a comprehensive effort in conjunction with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions against Archaga Carías. Archaga Carías is a most-wanted fugitive by the FBI, DEA, and DHS Homeland Security Investigations.
The MS-13 leader is listed as a most-wanted fugitive by the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations. He has been charged with conspiracy to violate the racketeering laws, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of a machine gun in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
The gang traces its roots to illegal Salvadoran immigrants living in Los Angeles during the 1980s. Since then, the gang has been implicated in hundreds of violent criminal acts on U.S. soil, but has also extended its reach to the Americas as immigrants belonging to the gang were deported back to their homelands.
