Four alleged members of a faction of the MS-13 criminal gang in Baltimore were indicted this week in connection with three murders, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office. 

Starting in 2023, the alleged members of the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas (CLS) "clique" committed multiple murders, sold drugs and extorted victims in a racketeering conspiracy, according to court documents.  

MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, was originally formed by Salvadoran nationals who came to the U.S. to escape civil war in their home country, . The gang has nearly 10,000 members in the U.S.,

Baltimore MS-13 members indicted on RICO charges

According to the indictment, Eliseo Alexander Lopez Alvarez, 23, of El Salvador, and Olvin Josue Posas Alvarenga, 23, of Honduras – along with other CLS members – pretended to be a female through a fake Instagram account. 

They allegedly murdered a person after using the fake account to lure them into a wooded area in southeast Baltimore. 

In March 2024, Kevin Cuestas, 20, of Honduras, and another CLS member allegedly shot and killed a person on a street in southeast Baltimore. The two suspects fled the scene in a getaway car, according to court documents. 

In April 2024, Josue Anibal Guerra Ramos, 20, of Honduras, and another CLS member shot two people in southeast Baltimore, killing one, court documents said. 

According to the indictment, all four of the alleged gang members also distributed marijuana to raise money for the MS-13 faction and extorted people by threatening violence. 

The indictment charges them with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act conspiracy. 

Second RICO indictment in Maryland this week 

According to the attorney's office, involving alleged MS-13 members that was filed in Maryland this week. 

The first involved three alleged gang members who were charged in connection with the murder of a homeless man and drug trafficking in Prince George's County. 

The indictment alleges that Maxwell Ariel Quijano-Casco, 24, of El Salvador; Daniel Isaias Villanueva-Bautista, 19, of El Salvador; and Josue Mauricio Lainez, 21, of Maryland, stabbed the man in the neck on July 4, 2024. 

"MS-13 is an especially brutal gang," said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the DoJ's Criminal Division. "Instead of simply walking away from an altercation with a homeless man, defendants returned to the scene and allegedly murdered the victim while he was sitting calmly inside a vehicle."