President Trumps FBI Announces Major Arrest!

The U.S. has captured another of the world’s most dangerous fugitives — a major victory in the fight against transnational crime and gang violence. President Donald J. Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel announced that Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, a top leader of the violent MS-13 gang, has been extradited from Mexico to face justice in the United States. His capture marks a significant milestone in the administration’s intensified crackdown on organized crime and gang-related violence.

Roman-Bardales, known within MS-13 as “El Calaca,” was one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, sought for years for his alleged role in orchestrating a series of brutal crimes that spanned borders — including drug trafficking, extortion, and multiple acts of murder and violence targeting civilians and rival gangs across the U.S. and El Salvador. His capture brings an end to one of the most aggressive manhunts in recent FBI history.

In a statement released by the Bureau, Director Patel emphasized the significance of the operation. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are restoring law and order at every level. This arrest sends a clear message: no criminal network, no matter how violent or far-reaching, will escape the reach of American justice,” he said.

Roman-Bardales was apprehended in a coordinated international operation involving the FBI, DEA, Department of Justice, and Mexican Federal Police, following nearly a decade of surveillance, intelligence-sharing, and cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities. Sources close to the investigation revealed that Roman-Bardales had been hiding in a fortified compound in the outskirts of Guadalajara, surrounded by heavily armed guards. The raid that led to his capture was swift and precise, conducted in the early hours of the morning to minimize civilian risk.

He was extradited to the U.S. under heavy security and now faces multiple federal charges, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder, narcotics distribution, and money laundering. Prosecutors say he played a central role in funneling drug profits from U.S. cities back to MS-13 strongholds in Central America, using violence and intimidation to expand the gang’s influence.

According to the indictment, Roman-Bardales was responsible for ordering at least six murders in the U.S., including the execution of a rival gang member in Maryland and the killing of a former associate who attempted to cooperate with law enforcement. He also allegedly oversaw a vast extortion network that targeted small businesses, forcing owners to pay “protection” money under threat of death.

This arrest marks the third major fugitive capture by the FBI under the Trump administration in less than six months. Earlier in 2025, the Bureau successfully apprehended Arnoldo Jimenez, wanted for the brutal 2012 murder of his new wife in Illinois, and Donald Eugene Fields II, a fugitive charged with child rape and sex trafficking.

“These arrests are proof that the era of complacency toward violent crime is over,” President Trump said during a press briefing at the White House. “My administration is committed to protecting American communities. Criminals who destroy lives, traffic drugs, or harm children will find no refuge. We will hunt them down — wherever they hide.”

The President also commended Director Patel and the FBI task forces that have led multiple high-profile takedowns since January. The administration’s “America Safe” initiative, launched earlier this year, has expanded federal task force funding, increased international intelligence coordination, and prioritized cross-border crime prevention.

“Roman-Bardales thought he could vanish,” Patel said. “He thought crossing borders would protect him. What he didn’t realize is that this administration has erased that illusion. Borders will no longer shield criminals from justice.”

For decades, MS-13 — or Mara Salvatrucha — has been one of the most feared criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere. Originating in Los Angeles in the 1980s among Salvadoran immigrants fleeing civil war, the gang quickly expanded its operations into Central America. Over the years, it has grown into a multinational syndicate with thousands of members across the Americas, involved in drug smuggling, human trafficking, weapons trade, and contract killings.

The gang’s brutal methods — beheadings, machete attacks, and public executions — have made it a symbol of the consequences of unchecked organized crime. Law enforcement agencies in both the U.S. and El Salvador have long identified MS-13 as a “top-tier transnational threat.”

Trump’s administration has made dismantling the gang a core national security objective, treating it not merely as a criminal issue but as a form of domestic terrorism. The extradition of Roman-Bardales, officials say, represents a critical step toward dismantling the leadership structure that fuels the gang’s operations.

A senior Justice Department official speaking on background said, “This wasn’t just about taking down one man — it’s about disrupting an entire network of violence that has terrorized communities from Los Angeles to Long Island.”

In El Salvador, Roman-Bardales’s arrest has already sent shockwaves through MS-13 circles. Reports from intelligence analysts suggest that the capture has caused infighting among factions competing for control in his absence. Several of his close associates have reportedly fled San Salvador, fearing retaliation or arrest.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the administration framed the arrest as a direct validation of its aggressive policies on border security, immigration enforcement, and law-and-order initiatives. “When you secure the border, you don’t just stop illegal immigration,” said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Homan. “You stop gangs, drugs, and human trafficking operations that exploit weak policies. This arrest is living proof of that.”

Law enforcement experts have noted that Roman-Bardales’s capture could yield valuable intelligence about MS-13’s internal hierarchy, recruitment channels, and financial networks. The Justice Department has confirmed that he is cooperating “to a limited degree,” though officials declined to provide details due to ongoing investigations.

Federal prosecutors in New York and Virginia — where several of his crimes were allegedly committed — are preparing to bring charges that could result in multiple life sentences. Sources familiar with the case say that the evidence against him includes testimony from former gang members, intercepted communications, and forensic data linking him to multiple murders and drug transactions.

Communities long scarred by MS-13’s violence have expressed relief at the news. “This monster destroyed families and terrorized neighborhoods for years,” said Luis Ortega, a community leader from Long Island, one of the regions hardest hit by gang violence. “We finally feel like justice is being done.”

While critics have accused the administration of politicizing law enforcement announcements, supporters argue that this new era of transparency and accountability has restored public confidence in federal institutions. “People want results,” Patel said. “And we’re delivering them.”

As Roman-Bardales sits in a maximum-security facility awaiting trial, authorities are continuing efforts to track down the remaining fugitives on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Officials have vowed that this momentum will not stop.

“Every arrest makes America safer,” President Trump concluded. “We are a nation of law, and those who try to tear that down will be held to account — no matter how long it takes.”

The capture of Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales serves as both a warning and a promise — a message that the United States will not rest until every criminal network that preys on its citizens is dismantled, one fugitive at a time.