FBI Director Kash Patel said alleged MS-13 leader Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives, is being extradited to the U.S.
An alleged MS-13 senior gang leader on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list is being extradited to the U.S. after his arrest in Mexico, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Tuesday.
Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales was arrested on Monday in the mountains of the Gulf coast state of Veracruz by Mexican soldiers and federal agents. The FBI was offering a $250,000 reward for information on Bardales prior to his arrest.
“I can now confirm that last night, working with the Justice Department and other interagency partners, the FBI has extradited one of our ‘Ten Most Wanted’ from Mexico — one we believe to be a key senior leader of MS-13, Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales,” Patel announced in a statement.
“He was arrested in Mexico and is being transported within the U.S. as we speak, where he will face American justice. This is a major victory both for our law enforcement partners and for a safer America. Thank you to our brave personnel for executing the mission. And thank you to Mexico’s SSPC and FGE teams for their support of the FBI in this investigation and arrest,” he added.
The FBI said Bardales faces charges in the Eastern District of New York relating to “several offenses for his alleged role in ordering numerous acts of violence against civilians and rival gang members, as well as his role in drug distribution and extortion schemes in the United States and El Salvador.”
The Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was one of eight