Gang Members Expelled from Belize and Guatemala Captured

Two members of the 18th Street Gang in El Salvador, wanted for homicide and extortion, have been captured following a coordinated effort between police and authorities in Guatemala and Belize. The individuals, identified as Rafael Miguel Ángel Leiva and Óscar Francisco Portillo Álvarez, alias “Ninja,” were expelled from Belize to Guatemala, where they now face prosecution.

El Salvador’s Minister of Security, Gustavo Villatoro, confirmed that they will be tried in the Courts Against Organised Crime. The operation, facilitated by INTERPOL investigators in Guatemala and Belizean authorities, concluded with the gang members’ handover at the adjacency zone in Melchor de Mencos, Petén.