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ICE Arrests Two Top MS-13 Operatives in Omaha

The operation leveraged new counterterrorism powers from MS-13’s foreign terrorist organization designation to detain two high-level gang figures hiding illegally in Nebraska.

Overview

  • Homeland Security Investigations agents, with ATF support, arrested an unnamed Salvadoran national on July 9 who was listed among El Salvador’s Top 100 Most Wanted for multiple homicides and terrorist affiliation.
  • Rene Saul Escobar Ochoa was taken into custody on charges of ordering homicides, extortion, imprisonment and drug trafficking for MS-13.
  • Both suspects were living in the United States illegally and were arrested without incident during a targeted enforcement action.
  • January’s designation of MS-13 as a foreign terrorist organization provided enhanced legal tools that enabled rapid extradition, prosecution and removal efforts.
  • The operation was carried out through coordinated efforts by ICE HSI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and international law enforcement partners.