Top leader of street gang MS-13 known as one of the ‘Twelve Apostles of the Devil’ arrested at Texas airport
HOUSTON – A top leader of the infamous street gang Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, has been arrested in Houston, delivering a significant blow to the international criminal organization.
Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, known as one of the original “Twelve Apostles of the Devil,” had been on the run for three years. Investigators tell Houston NBC affiliate KPRC 2 he was captured when he landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Sunday. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) collaborated on the arrest.
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MS-13 originated in California in the 1980s. The gang was set up to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Angeles area. The group later expanded to 14 members and, over the past 20 years, grew into a more traditional crime organization responsible for numerous crimes, including drug trafficking and murder.
CESAR HUMBERTO LOPEZ-LARIOS 2017 photo courtesy of the FBI. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
Lopez-Larios was charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, finance terrorism and plan violent acts transcending national boundaries. He will join 13 other of the gang’s leaders in custody in the Eastern District of New York, where his case will be heard at a later date.
“Now that Mr. Lopez-Larios is behind bars, he’s no longer in his alleged position of power directing a reign of terror, nor enriching MS-13 and their cartel associates,” FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge Hawkins said in a statement. “The FBI will continue to collaborate with our partners to seek justice and to find the remaining fugitives of this vicious transnational criminal enterprise.”
The Twelve Apostles of the Devil and the “Ranfla Nacional”
The “Twelve Apostles of the Devil” refers to the founders and original leaders of MS-13. These individuals played a crucial role in shaping the gang’s structure, rules, and operations. Over time, as the gang grew more sophisticated and organized, the leadership structure evolved into what is now known as the “Ranfla Nacional.”
Ceaser Humberto Lopez-Larios 2020 photo from FBI (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
Under “Ranfla Nacional” leadership, MS-13 expanded its activities, including forming connections with Mexican drug cartels and engaging in human trafficking and smuggling.
According to the indictment, these leaders have orchestrated violent acts, established military training camps, and procured military-grade weapons. Their operations in the U.S. involved extortion, drug trafficking, and violent crimes, with profits funneled back to leaders in El Salvador. Lopez-Larios, an MS-13 leader for more than two decades, played a crucial role in these operations, particularly in the Eastern District of New York, where the gang committed numerous murders, rapes, and other crimes.
Currently, MS-13 operates with a hierarchical structure, with local cliques reporting up to regional leaders, who in turn coordinate with the national leadership. This structure allows the gang to manage its diverse criminal activities across several countries.
The transformation from the “Twelve Apostles of the Devil” to the “Ranfla Nacional” illustrates MS-13′s adaptation and growth as a major transnational criminal organization.
A Call for Help
Two other high-ranking MS-13 members, Jorge Alexander De La Cruz and Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, remain at large. The FBI and HSI are offering a $20,000 reward for any information leading to their capture to contact the authorities.