Top MS-13 Leader Extradited To El Salvador So He Wouldn't Reveal Shady Deals Between Bukele And Gangs: Report

The U.S. government recently dropped all charges against a high-ranking MS-13 gang leader and deported him to El Salvador, with a recent report raising questions about potential political negotiations between the Donald Trump and Nayib Bukele administrations.

The gang leader, Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, known as "Greñas," had been in U.S. custody after being arrested in Mexico in 2023 and was considered a key figure in the U.S. case against MS-13 leadership.

According to U.S. Justice Department records cited by Drop Site News, "Greñas" was allegedly involved in secret negotiations between MS-13 and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's government, in which gang leaders were offered incentives in exchange for reducing violence and providing political support. Bukele has long denied these negotiations, but his administration has resisted extraditing MS-13 leaders to the U.S., raising speculation about his desire to keep their testimony out of American courts.

Four days before "Greñas" was deported, federal prosecutors dismissed the charges against him, citing "sensitive and important foreign policy considerations." The move was part of a broader deportation operation that included over 250 people, mostly Venezuelans accused of being part of the gang Tren de Aragua and for whose expulsion Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

"Greñas" was identified upon arrival in El Salvador when Bukele's government released a video of arriving deportees.. Trump also expelled 22 other Salvadorans, including another MS-13 member, César Eliseo Sorto-Amaya. U.S. agencies have refused to disclose details of the deportations.

Observers who talked to the outlet believe that "Greñas'" deportation may have been a strategic concession to Bukele in exchange for accepting the Venezuelan deportees. His removal also appears to have had an impact on other high-profile MS-13 figures in U.S. custody—three days after his expulsion, two top leaders, Marlon Antonio Menjivar-Portillo and Jorge Alexander De La Cruz, pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges. Moreover, another top leader, Josue Villatoro Santos, was arrested last week in Virginia.

Greñas, a member of MS-13's top leadership, was allegedly present during 2019 negotiations between the gang and Bukele's administration, the report added. U.S. prosecutors claim the talks led to MS-13 reducing public killings in exchange for financial incentives and territorial control. The alleged truce appeared to benefit Bukele politically by lowering the country's murder rate, strengthening his image as a crime-fighter.

The Bukele administration has consistently resisted extradition requests for MS-13 leaders, including some accused of negotiating with his government. In one case, Salvadoran officials released an MS-13 leader wanted by the U.S. following intense pressure but allegedly helped him flee to Guatemala. In fact, U.S. prosecutors alleged that he was escorted by high-level government officials and provided with a firearm before being set free.

Following the letter, Salvadoran authorities sought to recapture him, with officials even discussing a plan to pay Mexican cartels $1 million to find him. However, he was captured by the Mexican government before, which turned him over to U.S. authorities two days later. He is currently detained in Philadelphia.