U.S. Offers Up To $5M Reward for High-Ranking MS-13 Member 'Porky'

The U.S. Department of Justice announced it is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of who they claim is a high-ranking member of the MS-13 gang.

Yulan Andony Archaga Carías, also known as "Alexander Mendoza" or "Porky," is believed to be the highest-ranking member of the infamous Salvadoran gang in Honduras authorities said. "Porky" is allegedly in charge of the gang's drug trafficking operations, ordering and coordinating acts of violence, and laundering drug proceeds.

Operations led by "Porky" include processing, receiving, transporting and distributing multi-ton loads of cocaine shipped through Honduras and into the United States. His name appears on multiple most-wanted lists, including those of the FBI, the DEA and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.

In a statement, federal prosecutors said "Porky" and other MS-13 members and associates acting under his direction also provided protection to drug trafficking organizations.

Archaga Carías also allegedly lended MS-13 members to drug trafficking groups for payment and carried out numerous murders for hire. Authorities say the 43-year-old Honduran national also supplied firearms to these organizations, with weapons coming from El Salvador, Nicaragua and other parts of Central America. Archaga Carías also ordered the murders of rival gang members and drug trafficking competitors in Honduras, as well as MS-13 members he believed had been disloyal.

"This terrorist leader can no longer be allowed to live free as MS-13's evil devastates communities in America and throughout the Western Hemisphere," said Attorney General Pam Bondi. "If you have information leading to his arrest, come forward now."

"Porky" was charged in 2021 in a superseding indictment in the Southern District of New York with racketeering, narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses, among other crimes. If convicted, Archaga Carías could face a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years.

In the statement, FBI Director Kash Patel said dismantling MS-13 would remain one of the bureau's top priorities, adding the agency will not stop "until that mission is complete."