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MS-13 Kingpin on El Salvador’s Most Wanted List Captured in Omaha

Federal agents used newly granted terrorism authorities to detain the fugitive alongside an associate without incident

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Federal agents apprehended an MS-13 Kingpin on El Salvador's "Top 100 Most Wanted" list in Nebraska on Wednesday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) apprehended the man who is wanted for "aggravated homicide of five victims, attempted aggravated homicide, deprivation of liberty and terrorist organization affiliation," in Omaha on July 9, 2025.
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Overview

  • A top MS-13 leader wanted for the aggravated homicide of five people was arrested Wednesday in Omaha under a targeted operation.
  • ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives carried out the arrest after receiving a tip.
  • Agents also detained 30-year-old Rene Saul Escobar Ochoa, an associate accused of ordering multiple homicides and overseeing drug trafficking.
  • Authorities said both men were living illegally in the U.S. and posed a severe threat to the Omaha community.
  • The arrest leverages MS-13’s January designation as a foreign terrorist organization to expand federal prosecutorial powers.