Although this action has been the focus of politics during the current Nuevas Ideas government, raids against gang members and international gangs of human and drug traffickers have increased in recent weeks.
Of particular note are the 15 days so far in January, including 14 in a row, without reports of killings attributed to maras or gangs, the result of increased action by the National Civil Police (PNC), the Armed Forces (FAES) and the Attorney General's Office Republic (FGR).
The figures published this morning by the Police Department show that Thursday, January 18, ended with zero homicides throughout the national territory, allowing the country to set the path for a further reduction in the homicide rate, which in 2023 is already at 2.4 Percent lay, advancing 100,000 people.
During President Nayib Bukele's term in office, El Salvador has had a total of 532 days without gang killings, which authorities say is due in particular to the effectiveness of the territorial control plan and the emergency regime that remains in force.
Among the measures to strengthen security, this Friday stands out reports of the arrest of six gang members linked to another 141 gang members already in prison and being prosecuted on new criminal charges.
The PNC has arrested the group, which was found to be part of the criminal structures of the MS13 gang, said Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro last night.
Authorities also stepped up the offensive against groups with ties to South American countries such as Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil that engage in drug trafficking, fraud and human trafficking.
According to reports, between January 2023 and January 2024, at least 149 people with links to criminal structures specializing in fraud, kidnapping and drug trafficking were arrested and are standing trial for these crimes.
According to Villatoro, in recent weeks a group of eight Ecuadorians allegedly committed to human trafficking, especially children and young people, have been arrested in hotels in this capital.
These structures relied on social networks for their actions and demanded large sums of money from the relatives of their victims in order to release them.
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