Key Points

  • Three MS-13 members face trial before the Second Sentencing Tribunal of San Salvador for aggravated extortion.
  • The victim, a businessman, was extorted from 2014 to 2019 before finally filing a complaint.
  • Arrests were made possible through a controlled money delivery operation between the FGR and the PNC Anti-Extortion Division.
  • The extortionists avoided direct contact: they forced the victim to leave money hidden at predetermined locations.

The Second Sentencing Tribunal of San Salvador has begun public hearings against three Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang members accused of aggravated extortion of a businessman who endured systematic collection of so-called rent payments for five years.

According to the Attorney General's Office (FGR), the victim began being extorted in 2014, but did not file a formal complaint with authorities until December 2019. A period of five years of silence that reflects the fear gangs impose on their victims.

A Method Designed to Evade

The prosecutor on the case revealed details about the extortionists' sophisticated modus operandi. Unlike more direct schemes, the gang members never received money in person. Instead, they forced the victim to leave payments hidden at predetermined locations, a method designed to hinder identification and capture of those responsible.

The extortionists did not receive the money directly; they forced the victim to leave it hidden somewhere. The money was not collected in person, but through strategies we managed to make the arrests, the assigned prosecutor explained.

Controlled Deliveries: Key to the Arrests

Collaboration between the FGR and the National Civil Police Anti-Extortion Division (PNC) was decisive in dismantling the criminal operation. Through a controlled money delivery process, authorities managed to identify and capture those responsible in mid-2019.

The prosecution has five witnesses whose testimony will be presented during the public hearing. The Attorney General's Office did not reveal the names of the defendants, among whom is a minor, for reasons of procedural security.

A Pattern of Violence and Control

This case fits into a broader context of judicial actions against MS-13. Just this week, the Fifth Tribunal Against Organized Crime in San Salvador convicted 14 gang members from the Peajes Locos Salvatruchos clique, including a sentence of 335 years in prison for one member for the murder of 11 people in La Paz department.

Our Take

Five years paying extortion before daring to report it. That number, more than any official statistic, reveals the true dimension of the terror that gangs inflicted on Salvadoran citizens.

The case also exposes the operational sophistication of extortion networks. The method of leaving money at predetermined locations without direct contact shows that gangs are not simple street crews: they are criminal organizations with protocols designed to evade authorities.

It is encouraging that collaboration between the FGR and the Anti-Extortion Division has yielded concrete results. Controlled deliveries are an effective tool that must continue to be strengthened. But the real challenge lies in reducing the time between the start of extortion and the filing of a complaint. That requires secure reporting channels, real protection for whistleblowers, and above all, public confidence that the justice system can and will protect them. Without that trust, thousands more business owners will suffer in silence.