Gang Leader Reveals Deal With Salvadoran President Bukele To Help Him Gain Power

A Salvadoran gang leader has revealed deals reached with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to help propel him to power and keep him there. The revelation carries more weight considering Bukele's political platform is largely based on his ability to fight gangs and reduce crime in the country.

Carlos Cartagena Lopez, a leader of the Barrio 18 Revolutionaries, made the revelations while talking to El Faro, an outlet critical of Bukele.

The now president launched a war on gangs in 2022 after a massacre where 87 people were killed by criminal organizations. Ever since, his administration has incarcerated tens of thousands of people.

According to the Washington Office on Latin America, by March this year there were over 110,000 people in prison in the country, which now has the highest incarceration rate in the world. El País noted that 400 people have also died without trial, many with signs of torture.

The Bukele government has also substantially reduced violent crime since, with the homicide rate falling by more than 80%, according to the National Civil Police.

The mentioned massacre took place after the reported pact between Bukele and both MS-13 and Barrio 18 was broken. Cartagena Lopez, the Barrio 18 gang leader, was captured in April 2022 at a police checkpoint. Days later, however, he was released and "escorted to his home" due to "higher orders."

Another Barrio 18 leader also talked to El Faro, but asked to remain anonymous. The man, who showed his gang-related tattoos, recalled that the relationship began in 2014 when Bukele decided to run for mayor of San Salvador, the country's capital.

Both gang members said the middle man was Carlos Marroquín, an artist known as Slip who has been close to Bukele throughout his political career. Slip has been sanctioned by the U.S. State Department. They recalled that Marroquín would warn them about incoming police operations in their neighborhoods and also carry out projects in their communities.

In exchange, Bukele would demand their support, including the threatening of opposition activists and forcing people to vote for him. The outlet noted that Bukele has maintained the pact throughout the years, and El País noted that there is a "wealth of evidence" proving this, including "ntelligence documents, prosecutorial investigations, photos, audio recordings, and even accusations from the U.S. State Department."

Bukele has long denied negotiations, but his administration has resisted extraditing MS-13 leaders to the U.S., raising speculation about his desire to keep their testimony out of American courts.

Moreover, his government also reportedly offered the Trump administration a 50% discount in the fee it charges for holding suspected gang members at its infamous mega-prison in exchange for receiving nine MS-13 members living in the United States.

The offer, accepted by the Trump administration, was reported by CNN and was part of negotiations between the two governments before hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members were sent to the Central American country.