MS-13 Leader and Associate Indicted in Baltimore Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Multiple Murders

A superseding indictment unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has added two more individuals to a racketeering conspiracy indictment involving the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas (CLS) clique of MS-13 in Baltimore. This brings the total number of defendants charged in connection with this conspiracy to six, with the new indictment also including an additional murder and attempted murder. These charges are part of a broader effort to dismantle violent criminal organizations operating in the United States.

The investigation, spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), alleges that the defendants have been involved in a racketeering conspiracy since at least 2023. Their alleged criminal activities include multiple murders, drug distribution, and extortion.

According to the indictment, Manuel Alexander “Snappy” “23” Lara Morales, identified as a leader of MS-13’s CLS clique in Baltimore since approximately 2023, and Eliseo Alexander “10” “Zorro” “Terrible” Lopez Alvarez, who is alleged to be second in command, authorized a murder on September 4, 2023. This killing involved another CLS member or associate and was reportedly connected to a dispute over drug sales. The indictment details how Lopez Alvarez, along with Kevin “Mickey” “Gemelo” Cuestas, Olvin Josue “Elevado” Posas Alvarenga, and other CLS members, located the victim in front of a library, transported him to a wooded area in southeast Baltimore, and fatally shot him. His body was discovered five days later. Following this incident, Lara Morales is alleged to have formally inducted Cuestas and Posas Alvarenga into the CLS clique.

Further allegations in the superseding indictment point to an attempted murder on October 13, where Miguel “Canabe” Riva Salvador, Josue Anibal “Flaco” Guerra Ramos, Posas Alvarenga, and other CLS members allegedly targeted an individual preparing to testify against Riva Salvador in a criminal case pending in Baltimore City Circuit Court. The group reportedly found the intended victim behind his home and fired upon him, striking him in the groin. The victim survived this attack.

The initial indictment had already detailed three other murders attributed to the CLS clique. In November 2023, Lopez Alvarez, Posas Alvarenga, and other members are accused of murdering a victim after luring them to a wooded area in southeast Baltimore using a fake Instagram profile. Lara Morales allegedly provided prior authorization for this murder. Subsequently, in March 2024, Cuestas and Riva Salvador are alleged to have fatally shot another victim on a southeast Baltimore street before fleeing in a getaway vehicle. In April 2024, Guerra Ramos and another CLS member were involved in a shooting that resulted in one fatality and one non-fatal injury on a southeast Baltimore street.

It is important to note that all charges presented in the indictment are allegations, and individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

This prosecution is part of initiatives aimed at combating violent criminal organizations, including the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and Operation Take Back America. These programs involve extensive collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings. The HSTF, in particular, focuses on crimes affecting children and the removal of violent criminal aliens from the United States.

Authorities are encouraging the public to provide any information they may have regarding MS-13. Tips can be submitted to the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713) or to HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland.

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