The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced the extradition of a senior leader of the MS-13 gang, Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales,
The Mexican government arrested Roman-Bardales, a 47-year-old Salvadoran national who had been on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list.
Law enforcement officers were sent to Baxtla in Mexico after the authorities received intelligence that the fugitive was within the area.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that Roman-Bardales has been transported to the United States “where he will face American justice.”
“This is a major victory both for our law enforcement partners and for a safer America,” Patel wrote in a post on X.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for Roman-Bardales, aka El Veteran, in a New York court in 2022 after he was indicted on several charges.
His offenses include alleged acts of violence against civilians and rival gang members, drug distribution and extortion schemes in the U.S. and El Salvador.
Roman-Bardales is also accused of conspiracy to provide resources to terrorists, narco-terrorism conspiracy, racketeering conspiracy, and alien smuggling conspiracy.
The United States recently designated the MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) following President Donald Trump’s order.
