A Maras gang leader is sentenced to over a thousand years in prison for his horrendous crimes

A leader of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) was sentenced today to a total of 1,090 years in prison, as part of a war against gangs declared by President Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, an inevitable state matter for the Central American country.

According to the Attorney General of the Republic, Cesare Alfredo Romero Chávezleader of MS-13, “is responsible for 24 aggravated homicide cases. The bodies of the victims were buried in clandestine cemeteries “.

In the judicial process lasted even two months Other 93 members of Mara Salvatrucha sentenced, for a total of 54 serious crimes, the accusation explained.

Cesar Romero Chavez the reckless leader of the Mara Salvatrucha MS-13

Romero Chavez “He was found guilty of multiple crimes and sentenced to 1,090 years in prison.“, specified the body, in a sum of penalties for each crime committed.

Among Romero’s victims are two police officers and the son of a journalist. All events occurred between 2016 and 2019.

Despite the high sentence, the penal code of El Salvador establishes that the maximum sentence of imprisonment is 60 years.

The role of the laws in front of the Maras

The Congress of El Salvador, controlled by President Bukele’s allies, extended an exceptional regime at least until the end of July, which allows arrests without a court order.

The measure began in late March, in reaction to 87 murders that took place over a weekendall attributed to gang activities.

also the Parliament has tightened penalties for membership in these organizations, mainly MS-13 and Barrio 18operating in the country, engaged, among other things, in drug trafficking and extortion.

Until before the government assault, some 16,000 of its members were imprisoned, but With the arrests of the last three months, 59,086 would be behind bars, 84% of the 70,000 registered officially considered existing in the country.

Most of the detainees are still awaiting trial, while humanitarian organizations and even the US government have called on El Salvador to respect human rights.

What are Mara Salvatrucha?

The maras emerged and grew in El Salvador, one of the countries with the highest crime rate in the world. But then its members branched out and dispersed throughout Central America, Mexico, the United States, and then South America.

In El Salvador, up to 10 percent of its population (of 6.5 million) is believed to have some relationship with the maras. There are around 16,000 gang members in Guatemala, while in Mexico and the United States their gang members are estimated to reach 50,000 and 100,000 respectively.

Together with Mara Salvatrucha, Mara 18 (also known as Barrio 18) is one of the most violent. It is organized into guerrilla cells operating in different countries. Their main livelihoods are drug trafficking and ransom kidnapping, but also all kinds of illegal activities.