El Salvador's Attorney General announced that 248 alleged MS-13 members received lengthy prison terms for crimes committed between 2014 and 2022, including one defendant sentenced to 1,335 years. The announcement did not specify the sentencing date or whether the trials were mass proceedings. President Nayib Bukele's 2022 state of emergency has led to more than 90,000 detentions and a fall in homicides, though rights groups allege abuses. The government blames MS-13 and rival Barrio 18 for many decades of violence and extensive extortion.
El Salvador Sentences 248 Alleged MS-13 Members — One Given 1,335-Year Term
El Salvador's Attorney General's Office announced that 248 alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang received lengthy prison sentences for crimes including homicides and disappearances. The office described the penalties as "exemplary sentences," but did not specify the date of sentencing or whether the cases were tried together.
Details of the Sentences
According to the Attorney General's Office, one defendant identified as Marvin Abel Hernandez Palacios was sentenced to 1,335 years in prison. Ten other defendants received sentences ranging from 463 to 958 years. Authorities said the convictions relate to crimes committed between 2014 and 2022, including 42 homicides and 42 disappearances among other offenses.
"Some people had to close their businesses out of fear of the threats," the Attorney General's Office said, describing how gangs extorted business owners by demanding payments in exchange for not harming them.
Security Crackdown and Its Consequences
Since March 2022, President Nayib Bukele has implemented a state of emergency that expanded police and military powers and allowed arrests without warrants as part of a broad campaign against gangs. Officials say more than 90,000 people have been detained under the measures and roughly 8,000 have been released after being found not guilty.
The government credits the crackdown with a sharp drop in homicides to historically low levels. However, human rights groups have accused security forces of abuses and raised concerns about due process and mass detentions.
Historical Context
El Salvador's government estimates that MS-13 and the rival Barrio 18 gang were responsible for about 200,000 deaths over approximately three decades and at one point controlled large parts of the country, contributing to an exceptionally high homicide rate.
MS-13 originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s among Salvadoran immigrants who fled the country's civil war. The gang later expanded across Central America — particularly to Guatemala and Honduras — and its violence and extortion have been cited as factors driving migration to the United States. U.S. officials and politicians have long condemned MS-13 as a dangerous transnational criminal network.
Reporting Notes
The Attorney General's social media post did not give a sentencing date or clarify whether defendants were tried in a single mass proceeding. The details above reflect the office's public statement and government estimates; independent reporting and court documents may provide further verification over time.
