Inside MS-13’s Secret Deal with El Salvador’s Government: How Gang Leaders Bought Political Protection

The shadowy world of MS-13’s international operations is being exposed through federal court documents that reveal how the Central American gang struck a unprecedented deal with government officials for political protection and territorial control.
At the center of this criminal conspiracy is Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, a high-ranking member of MS-13’s “Ranfla Nacional” – the gang’s executive leadership council that operates across multiple countries. Federal investigators describe him as having “intimate knowledge” of secret negotiations that allowed MS-13 to operate with government backing in exchange for political support.
The 2019 agreement between MS-13 and El Salvador’s government reads like something from a crime thriller. Gang leaders were given money, territory, and even released from prison. In return, they promised to reduce violence and use their criminal networks to support President Bukele’s political party in elections.
This wasn’t just any criminal organization making deals. MS-13, known formally as Mara Salvatrucha, is considered one of the most dangerous transnational gangs in the world. With operations spanning from Central America to the United States, the gang is involved in drug trafficking, human smuggling, extortion, and terrorism.
Federal prosecutors have built extensive cases against MS-13’s leadership, with two major indictments charging 27 gang leaders with crimes including narco-terrorism, racketeering, and conspiracy. These cases represent years of investigation by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, tracking the gang’s operations across international borders.
The criminal network’s sophistication is evident in how it navigated government negotiations. According to prosecutors, MS-13 leaders held direct meetings with government officials inside Salvadoran prisons, negotiating terms that would have been unthinkable in traditional law enforcement contexts.
What makes Arevalo-Chavez particularly valuable to investigators is his role in these negotiations and his subsequent operations in Mexico, where he helped run MS-13’s expanding criminal empire. His potential testimony could expose the full extent of how criminal organizations can infiltrate and corrupt government institutions.