FBI Director Kash Patel announced Tuesday that the federal law enforcement agency had extradited a man from Mexico who is believed to be a “senior leader” of the MS-13 gang, which the Trump administration has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
“The FBI has extradited one of our ‘Ten Most Wanted’ from Mexico — one we believe to be a key senior leader of MS-13, Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales,” Patel announced in a post on X. “He was arrested in Mexico and is being transported within the U.S. as we speak, where he will face American justice.”
“This is a major victory both for our law enforcement partners and for a safer America. Thank you to our brave personnel for executing the mission,” Patel said before thanking Mexican officials for their operational support.
The announcement from Patel comes just after the Mexican government announced his arrest in Veracruz on Monday.
The FBI previously noted that Roman-Bardales should be considered “armed and dangerous” and “has been charged with several offenses for his alleged role in ordering numerous acts of violence against civilians and rival gang members, as well as his alleged role in drug distribution and extortion schemes in the United States and El Salvador.
Roman-Bardales was hit with a federal arrest warrant by the Eastern District in New York in 2022 and stands accused of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists; narco-terrorism conspiracy; racketeering conspiracy; and alien smuggling conspiracy.
Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, was designated a foreign terror organization last month by the Trump administration.
“MS-13 actively recruits, organizes, and spreads violence in several countries, primarily in Central America and North America, including El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States,” the State Department noted. “MS-13 has conducted numerous violent attacks, including assassination and the use of IEDs and drones, against El Salvador government officials and facilities.”
The Trump administration said, “MS-13 uses public displays of violence to intimidate civilian populations to obtain and control territory and manipulate the electoral process in El Salvador.”
