The funds obtained were allegedly used to finance criminal activities, the purchase of weapons, and drug trafficking, the Attorney General’s Office stated on its social media account, referring to the closing arguments presented in the major hearing against 485 MS-13 leaders.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the victims made the payments under threats against their lives and the lives of their families in an intimidation scheme, while the criminal organization used the extortion money to purchase firearms of various calibers and carry out other criminal activities.

“There are records of the complaints filed by each of the victims affected by the extortion, as well as advance statements from witnesses detailing how the organization used the extortion money,” the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) stated in X.

In its argument, the Prosecutor’s Office asserted that the gang was involved in drug trafficking, primarily marijuana and cocaine, which they brought from Mexico and transported through Guatemala.

Furthermore, “the prosecution has demonstrated that, from 2012 to 2022, these criminals used 1,212 minors to transport weapons and drugs in different parts of the country,” the public prosecutor’s office stated in X.

On the other hand, Deputy Prosecutor Max Muñoz explained that in the coming days, they will present evidence of how this gang armed itself with heavy weapons against the Salvadoran state in order to impose a parallel criminal state, attempting to usurp the nation’s legal powers.

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