Mexico Sends 'MS-13' Ringleader Included in FBI Most Wanted List 'El Veterano' To U.S.

President Donald Trump has been pressuring Mexico to take stronger measures to combat drug trafficking and illegal immigration by threatening to impose tariffs on imports. In response, the Claudia Sheinbaum administration has deployed thousands of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, extradited prisoners wanted by the American government for drug trafficking and secured the capture of many high-profile organized crime leaders.

One such case took place this week after the arrest of Javier Román Bardales, an alleged senior leader of the Mara Salvatrucha gang (MS-13) and a member of the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list.

Bardales was arrested on Monday in a mountainous region of the state of Veracruz. Mexican soldiers and agents found him driving along the Teocelo-Baxtla highway and once they confirmed his identity, officials took him into custody.

Soon after arresting Bardales, Mexico's top security official Omar García Harfuch announced the apprehension on his X account, saying the operation had been a result of international cooperation with other agencies.

Harfuch went on to detail that Bardales, also known as "El Veterano," was wanted by U.S. authorities for his alleged involvement in the direction of MS-13 activity in the U.S., Mexico and El Salvador.

Authorities claim that Bardales committed numerous acts of violence against civilians and rival gang members and that he also directed the distribution of drugs and extortion schemes in the U.S. and El Salvador.

Furthermore, Bardales faces several charges, including Conspiracy to Provide and Conceal Material Support and Resources to Terrorists; Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy; Racketeering Conspiracy; and Alien Smuggling Conspiracy.

FBI Director Kash Patel thanked Mexican authorities for their cooperation and handover of one of the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" suspects, the third such arrest since Trump took office. In a separate post, Patel added that the arrests are not "an accident."

"When you let good cops be good cops, this is what happens," Patel wrote on X. "This administration is giving the new FBI and AG Bondi the resources to get the job done — and we won't stop," he added.

The first member of the most wanted list to be apprehended since Trump took office was Donald Eugene Fields II, wo was added there in May 2023 due to child sex trafficking and child rape charges. He was arrested in Florida after a routine traffic stop as his license plate was not registered to the vehicle he was driving.

The second such arrest took place just a few days later, when Arnoldo Jiménez was taken into custody by Mexican authorities in the city of Monterrey. According to officials, Jiménez had been on the run since May 2013.

Jiménez was responsible for the death of his wife Estrella Carrera, who he had married 48 hours prior to murdering her. According to the FBI, Jimenez stabbed Carrera to death inside his 2006 Maserati sedan, then dragged her inside their apartment and left her body in the bathtub.