Federal authorities arrested Henry Josue Villatoro Santos – a 24-year-old alleged leader of MS-13, the Mara Salvatrucha gang – on a gun charge Thursday in northern Virginia. Villatoro Santos is facing one felony charge. The Justice Department and other federal officials said Villatoro Santos is a Salvadoran national with unlawful status in the U.S, USA Today reports. Despite only a single charge, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi identified him as one of the three main leaders of MS-13 in the U.S., responsible for the East Coast. “America is safer today because one of the top domestic terrorists in MS-13 is off the streets,” she said. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said the arrest was made in Dale City, 28 miles south of Washington, D.C., in a coordinated effort with federal, Virginia and local law enforcement agencies. Youngkin blamed local leadership in northern Virginia, which leans Democratic, and the Biden administration for not arresting the alleged leader sooner.
Federal prosecutors have charged Villatoro Santos with possessing a firearm by an alien. In an affidavit, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deportation Officer Jason Klepec said officials executed a federal search warrant for Villatoro Santos at a home where his mother had reported a burglary in August. FBI agents had seen Villatoro Santos entering and exiting the residence in March. He is not legally present in the U.S.. Agents first tried to knock and announce their presence, then breached the front and back doors of the home, They found Villatoro Santos in an alcove leading to the garage, which agents later discovered was his room. He allegedly ducked behind a small wall, and officials said he didn’t comply with orders to leave the home. Agents used a stun grenade, and he eventually was pulled out of the residence. Villatoro Santos was taken into custody on an outstanding immigration warrant. When agents searched his room, they found a 9mm handgun, three other firearms, ammunition and two suppressors. Agents also found “indicia of MS-13 association” in his bedroom.