CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, a high-ranking leader of the notorious MS-13 gang AKA “Grenas de Stoners” and “Oso de Stoners,” has been captured after evading authorities for over three years. Lopez-Larios, whose gang members were linked to dozens of gruesome machete murders in Long Island and Queens during the mid-2010s, was arrested on June 9, 2024, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas.
The 45-year-old fugitive, a member of MS-13’s elite Ranfla Nacional leadership structure, is accused of directing the gang’s violent activities across the U.S., El Salvador, and Mexico for the past two decades. He faces charges including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and narco-terrorism conspiracy. Lopez-Larios will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York.
“The defendant will soon face a reckoning in a federal courtroom on Long Island where, acting on his orders, MS-13 has spilled so much blood and turned communities into war zones,” said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Lopez-Larios and his co-defendants allegedly established a hierarchical command structure within MS-13, directing acts of violence, including murders, and obtaining military weapons. The gang expanded its criminal activities globally, forming alliances with Mexican drug cartels and engaging in human trafficking.
Under Lopez-Larios’ leadership, MS-13 members in the U.S. were directed to commit crimes to fund the gang’s activities in El Salvador and elsewhere. The gang’s influence resulted in numerous violent crimes within the Eastern District of New York, where prosecutors have pursued hundreds of MS-13 members for over 70 murders since 2009.
If convicted, Lopez-Larios faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Two related defendants from the Arevalo-Chavez indictment, Jorge Alexander De La Cruz, also known as “Cruger de Peatonales,” and Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, also known as “Veterano de Tribus,” remain at large. Members of the public with information concerning their whereabouts are strongly encouraged to contact the FBI’s toll-free MS-13 tip line, 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or HSI’s tip line at (866) 347-2423 or https://www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form. Together, FBI and HSI have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the fugitives.
Photo: 2020 photo of Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios/FBI
