El Salvador authorities discover a wanted MS-13 gang member hiding in a coffin on the roof of a car while attempting to flee to Guatemala
- MS-13 member Alexander Hernández was hidden in a coffin strapped to the roof of a car during a traffic stop in El Salvador on Tuesday
- Hernández tried to flee to Guatemala with fellow gangbangers Walter Zelaya and Rafael Juárez
- The three people reportedly took part in a recent murder and were only 12 miles from one of the border crossings between El Salvador and Guatemala
A fugitive MS-13 member was found hidden in a coffin when his two cohorts tried to smuggle him from El Salvador to Guatemala.
Police officers patrolling a highway in the western city of Santa Ana on Tuesday became suspicious of the coffin draped over the roof of the car and stopped the driver for an inspection just 12 miles from the Guatemalan border.
The agents searched the vehicle and opened the coffin, where they found Alexander Hernández lying in the box, covered with a white sheet.
MS-13 gangbangers Walter Zelaya and Rafael Juárez, who were transporting Hernández, were also taken into custody.
Alexander Hernández, a member of the MS-13 gang, was arrested Tuesday in Santa Ana, El Salvador, after police found him hiding in a coffin tied to the roof of a car. He and two other gang members had allegedly recently killed a man and were fleeing to Guatemala when police stopped their vehicle for an inspection
Police in Santa Ana, El Salvador, were surprised Tuesday when they discovered an MS-13 gang member hiding in a coffin. The suspect and two other men fled to Guatemala after reportedly killing a man in the town of Usulután
All three men have been identified as suspected participants in the killing of someone in the southeastern Salvadoran town of Usulután, local media reported.
“These cowardly terrorists are exhausting their hideouts and avenues to evade justice,” tweeted El Salvador’s Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro. “This gang member was found being transported in a coffin at a (traffic checkpoint).”
Her arrest is part of President Nayib Bukele’s government’s broader effort to tackle gang violence as homicides fell by 56.8% in 2022.
Police recorded 496 murders last year, compared to 1,147 in 2021. The total for 2022 would rise to 600 if gang member deaths were also counted.
The Bukele administration didn’t provide a homicide rate, but it was still a significant drop from a 2015 peak of 103 homicides per 100,000 people, according to government data.
Two members of the MS-13 gang were traveling in a car with a coffin strapped to the roof when police stopped them for an inspection in El Salvador on Tuesday
Police were shocked to discover another gang member hiding in the coffin. All three men have been arrested for their alleged role in the recent murder of one person
President Bukele asked Congress to authorize a temporary state of emergency and suspend certain constitutional rights to combat notorious Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs following a spike in violence in March.
The controversial measure, which has been extended several times and remains in effect, unleashed a militarized offensive that has resulted in over 60,000 arrests of suspected gang members.
Human rights groups have raised questions about alleged ill-treatment during the state of emergency, including possible arrests of innocent people and cover-up of the deaths of those detained in state custody.
“The drop in homicides is a consequence of the state of emergency because that number of criminals are off the streets and causing harm to the population,” Defense Secretary Francis Merino said.
Polls show that a majority of Salvadorans support the move, which has established a military presence in neighborhoods at high risk of gang violence.