Probably to disdain of Democrats, Trump administration offers $5 million reward for leader of MS-13

WASHINGTON, DC- In a move that’s sure to anger MS-13 gang banger supporting Democrats, the Trump administration this week reauthorized a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias, believed to be the leader of MS-13 in Honduras, The New York Post reports. 

In a press statement, the State Department said that under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), the federal government is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction in any country of Archaga Carias, also known as “Porky” and “Alexander Mendoza.” 

On February 20, 2025, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The designation was designed as “the U.S. government is working towards building a safer, stronger, and more prosperous hemisphere in the Americas by providing all available means to eliminate the threats of violent crime by MS-13 throughout the Western Hemisphere. 

According to the release, Archaga Carias “is the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras and is responsible for directing the gang’s criminal activities.” Those include “drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, kidnappings, and other violent crimes involving machine guns.” Archaga Carias also oversees the terrorist group’s import of large amounts of cocaine into the United States. 

The Post reported that the government’s $5 million headhunter fee was initially offered in 2023 under TOCRP, but is being reconstituted as part of the administration’s efforts to combat criminal illegal gangs, including the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and MS-13. 

“This terrorist leader can no longer be allowed to live free as MS-13’s evil devastates communities in America and throughout the western hemisphere,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “If you can contribute information leading to his arrest–come forward now.” 

The administration’s actions come on the heels of several Democrat lawmakers flying to El Salvador in support of MS-13 gang member and wife-beater Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration several weeks ago. He has become the poster child of unhinged leftists who oppose anything President Trump does. 

On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel noted targeting MS-13 and its leadership is a top priority of the administration and the FBI. 

“Dismantling and ultimately eliminating MS-13 continues to be one of the FBI’s highest priorities, and we’re not stopping until that mission is complete,” Patel said in a statement. “Alongside our dedicated law enforcement partners, the FBI will find Archaga Carias–a terrorist whose reign of terror at the helm of MS-13 is coming to an end.” 

Archaga Carias also resides on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. 

As further proof that this is an all-hands-on-deck effort, DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz said that anyone harboring Archaga Carias will be taken down by law enforcement assets of the Trump administration. 

“With MS-13 now officially designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the rules have changed–and so has the mission,” Maltz said in a statement. “Archaga Carias isn’t just a fugitive–he’s a foreign terrorist waging war on innocent Americans through murder, trafficking, and terror.

“Let me be clear: under this Administration, we will dismantle MS-13 piece by piece–and anyone protecting him will fall with him. A $5 million reward is on the table. Turn him in. End this threat.” 

Archaga Carias was previously indicted and charged with federal racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms charges in 2021 out of the Southern District of New York. Only one of the five MS-13 leaders charged in the 2021 indictment, all Honduran nationals, are in US custody. 

“MS-13 remains one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world, and the recent designation of MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization underscores this reality,” Acting US Attorney Matthew Padolsky for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. “This Office, working closely with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and track down MS-13’s leadership, no matter where in the world they may be hiding.” 

The DOJ alleges that Archago Carias contracted members of the gang as “Sicarios” or hit men, to drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) for payment. The DOJ further alleges that MS-13 gang members “committed numerous murders for hire for DTO’s trafficking cocaine through Honduras to the United States.” 

“Archaga Carias and MS-13 also supplied DTOs with firearms, including machine guns, that were received from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and elsewhere,” the Justice Department said. “Archaga Carias also ordered multiple murders of rival gang members and drug trafficking competitors in Honduras, as well as other members of MS-13 whom Archaga Carias believed had been disloyal to the gang.” 

Archaga Carias is facing a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted of the charges, with a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison. 

Tips on Archago Carias’ whereabouts can be sent to archaga-carias-tips@fbi.gov.