The development follows a report by Drop Site News, which claimed another MS-13 leader was likely deported so he wouldn't reveal shady deals between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and local gangs.
The outlet cited the case of gang leader Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, known as "Greñas," who had been in U.S. custody after being arrested in Mexico in 2023 and was considered a key figure in the U.S. case against MS-13 leadership.
According to U.S. Justice Department record cited by the outlet, "Greñas" was allegedly involved in secret negotiations between MS-13 and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's government, in which gang leaders were offered incentives in exchange for reducing violence and providing political support. Bukele has long denied these negotiations, but his administration has resisted extraditing MS-13 leaders to the U.S., raising speculation about his desire to keep their testimony out of American courts.
Four days before "Greñas" was deported, federal prosecutors dismissed the charges against him, citing "sensitive and important foreign policy considerations." The move was part of a broader deportation operation that included over 250 people, mostly Venezuelans accused of being part of the gang Tren de Aragua and for whose expulsion Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
https://www.latintimes.com/doj-said-arrested-salvadoran-was-ms-13-leader-east-coast-days-later-its-dropping-its-case-580392What’s in this for Bukele, apart from the $20,000 he’s said to receive for taking each of these ‘criminals’ and (in Trump’s words) giving them ‘such a wonderful place to live’? He’s earned an invitation to the White House later this month (‘I’ll be bringing several cans of Diet Coke,’ Bukele joked). He’s also strengthened his image as a leader who has transformed his country’s security.
But most important might be Bukele’s need to suppress evidence that, back in 2019, he negotiated with gang leaders, offering concessions in return for a reduced murder rate. One such leader, nicknamed ‘Greñas’, later fled to Mexico, where he was apprehended and sent to the US to face terrorism charges. Due in court soon, he could have spilled the beans on the deal, which Bukele denies ever took place. Trump’s justice department dropped the charges before they reached court. It then sent Greñas back to El Salvador, where he was put in CECOT and is unlikely ever to leave.
https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/april/irregular-warfare"Deportation" ("extraordinary rendition", as it was called when Muslims were kidnapped to be tortured and imprisoned in Guantanamo) is much more convenient for covering things up.
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