OFAC Sanctions MS-13 Leader, Associate
The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated two MS-13 leaders in Central America for actions related to drug trafficking and contract killing, according to a Feb. 8 news release.
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Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias of Honduras led drug trafficking operations involving multi-ton loads of cocaine through Honduras to the U.S., OFAC said. Archaga Carias also ordered the murders of rival gang members and others associated with MS-13, contracted other drug trafficking organizations to commit killings and supplied them with weapons, OFAC said. Archaga Carias is a fugitive from U.S. and Honduran law enforcement after his escape from prison in Honduras. A federal grand jury in the U.S. indicted Carias for racketeering, cocaine importation, murder and possession of machine guns in 2021.
David Elias Campbell Licona of Nicaragua is an MS-13 "associate" who planned and coordinated retaliatory violent acts with Archaga Carias and assisted in laundering drug proceeds, including through banks in the U.S., OFAC said. Campbell Licona is imprisoned in Nicaragua.
“Treasury’s sanctions against MS-13 aim to interrupt its use of the financial system to launder illicit proceeds,” said Brian Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. “MS-13 is a violent, destabilizing threat to the security of people in Central America. Its criminal activities degrade economies in the region to such a degree that citizens are compelled to seek safety and better opportunities elsewhere.”