US Offers $5 Million Reward for MS-13 Gang Leader

The United States has intensified its crackdown on transnational crime by officially designating the violent gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). At the centre of the effort is Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías, also known as “Porky” and “Alexander Mendoza,” the gang’s top leader in Honduras, now wanted under terrorism and organised crime charges.

The U.S. government under the Trump administration is offering up to $5 million for information leading to Archaga Carías’s arrest or conviction. He is accused of overseeing MS-13’s brutal operations.

“Archaga Carías is the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras and is responsible for directing the gang’s criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, kidnappings, and other violent crimes involving machine guns,” the US Department of State said in a statement on Monday. “He is also responsible for the gang’s importation of large amounts of cocaine into the United States.”

“This terrorist leader can no longer be allowed to live free,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “If you can contribute information leading to his arrest—come forward now.”

Archaga Carías, 43, remains at large and is listed among the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations’ top 10 most wanted fugitives.