A documented member of the violent MS-13 street gang wanted in El Salvador on counts of extortion, blackmail, and terrorist involvement was apprehended in Virginia by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its federal and state law enforcement partners.
Silvia Lorena Bonilla-De Jandres, 40, an illegal Salvadoran national, was arrested on February 25 in Alexandria by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents from Washington, D.C., working with the FBI, DEA, and Virginia State Police. She is wanted in El Salvador on various felony counts related to her involvement with the transnational criminal organization MS-13.
“Silvia Lorena Bonilla-De Jandres is not only the member of a transnational criminal enterprise… she has also apparently attempted to flee justice in her home country,” said Russ Hott, ICE Field Office Director in Washington, D.C.
Bonilla entered the United States illegally through the Rio Grande Valley in Texas on February 21, 2016. She was placed in removal proceedings by the United States Border Patrol. On August 28, 2017, authorities in El Salvador issued a warrant for her arrest. Interpol issued a red warning on November 24, 2017.
Fugitive tracked down in Northern Virginia
According to law enforcement, Bonilla evaded international authorities for several years before being apprehended in Northern Virginia. The mission required interagency cooperation and intelligence support from several federal agencies.
According to ICE officials, the arrest is part of a larger effort to prevent individuals associated with violent organizations from seeking sanctuary in the United States.
Bonilla is now in ICE detention, awaiting removal proceedings. There were no more charges announced in the United States.
