Mexican authorities say they have arrested Francisco Javier Román-Bardales, an alleged MS-13 gang leader who is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List.
Román-Bardales was apprehended on the Teocelo-Baxtla highway in Veracruz, according to a joint statement from the Attorney General, the Ministry of National Defence, and the National Guard.
“He was informed of the reason for his arrest, his legal rights were read to him, and he will be transferred to Mexico City, before the corresponding authority, and subsequently deported to the United States, where he is wanted,” according to the statement.
CNN has contacted Mexican authorities for additional information, including whether the detainee has legal representation.
The FBI declined to comment on whether the arrest was at the request of the Trump administration.
According to the FBI, Román-Bardales was allegedly in charge of the criminal group’s operations in the United States, Mexico, and his native El Salvador.
He’s also charged with ordering “numerous acts of violence against civilians and rival gang members, as well as his role in drug distribution and extortion schemes in the United States and El Salvador.”
Román-Bardales faces charges in the United States for “conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, narco-terrorist conspiracy, racketeering conspiracy, and conspiracy to traffic aliens.”
The FBI had offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The Trump administration has designated MS-13, which originated in Los Angeles, as a terrorist organisation, along with other criminal organisations.
Some current and former officials believe that designating cartels as terrorist organisations could pave the way for direct US strikes against the cartels and their drug labs in Mexico.
