BALTIMORE — Multiple suspected members of the MS-13 gang were arrested in connection with numerous murders across the state of Maryland, court documents say.
Two recently unsealed indictments allege seven suspects committed murders in Baltimore City and Prince George's County.
In November 2023, members of Centrales Locos Salvatruchas, or CLS, a clique of MS-13, created a fake Instagram account that appeared to be a female who befriended the victim, named as C.O. in the court documents.
On or around November 30, Eliseo Alexander Lopez Alvarez and other members of MS-13 used the account to lure C.O. to an undisclosed area in Southeast Baltimore.
Lopez Alvarez, Olvin Josue Posas Alvarenga, and other members met the victim at the location, moved him to a nearby wooded area, and shot and killed him.
In March 2024, Kevin Cuestas and another MS-13 member planned to kill someone whom they believed to be a member of a rival gang.
Both Cuestas and the other member found M.N. (as noted in the court documents) on the street in Southeast Baltimore, opened fire at him multiple times, killing him, and then fled in a getaway car.
Cuestas spoke on a recorded jail line with an imprisoned member of MS-13 and told them, "the waters were hot" because he just recently "ate a roosted chicken."
The final suspect, Josue Anibal Guerra Ramos, and another member allegedly committed a double shooting in Southeast Baltimore in April 2024.
Both Guerra Ramos and the other member opened fire, striking two people, J.C. and M.M., as noted in the court documents."
J.C. was killed as a result of the shooting, while M.M. was wounded.
All four members are facing RICO charges.
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced that three alleged members of La Mara Salvatrucha, which is noted as being known as MS-13, made an appearance in the District Court of Maryland for their alleged roles in a racketeering conspiracy, including murder and drug trafficking.
Court documents say on July 4, 2024, Maxwell Ariel Quijano-Casco, of El Salvador, Daniel Isaias Villanueva-Bautista, also of El Salvador, and Josue Mauricio Lainez, of Hyattsville, Maryland, allegedly murdered a homeless man.
The next day, a passerby called 911 after seeing the victim, who was not identified, sitting in a blue 2008 Dodge Caravan that was parked in a used car lot in Hyattsville.
Police arrived on the scene and found the man, who was stabbed in the neck.
Surveillance video shows the victim wielding what appears to be a metal pole at Quijano-Cacso, which later prompted him and the other person with him to flee while the victim returned to the Dodge Caravan.
Later that night, around 11:48 p.m., Quijano-Casco returned to the van with Villanueva-Bautista, Lainez, and an unidentified individual. Surveillance shows them opening the van's rear sliding door, reaching inside, and moving as if someone was being struck.
On August 23, all three suspects were arrested by Prince George's County Police. According to officials, they were in possession of a black Ruger P95DC semi-automatic handgun and about eight grams of cocaine at the time of their arrest.
Quijano-Casco allegedly admitted to police that he was the one who stabbed the victim.
“Their actions furthered MS-13’s reign of terror across communities in Maryland." said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "The Criminal Division will continue to pursue charges against MS-13 members and associates and will not relent until this dangerous gang is eradicated from our streets.”
“The brutal retaliatory murder of this victim is a chilling reminder of the MS-13 gang’s callous disregard for human life,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Those who assault and kill others must be brought to justice and ultimately held accountable for their actions."
He, Villanueva-Bautista, and Lainez were each charged with racketeering conspiracy, including murder.
They each face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
