The Department of Homeland Security confirms U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security agents arrested two senior MS-13 gang leaders this week in Omaha who are wanted in El Salvador for violent crimes including murder, drug trafficking, and gang conspiracy.
“One of these depraved aliens is on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted Fugitives list and is wanted for five counts of murder,” says U.S Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “The other has an INTERPOL notice for drug trafficking. These are the kinds of scum-bags sanctuary politicians are protecting and letting walk free on America’s streets.”
Agents arrested Rene Escobar-Ochoa during the operation in Omaha. DHS says U.S. Border Patrol first encountered him in 2023, and he was allowed to remain in the country. He is wanted in El Salvador for drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit murder.
Agents also tracked down a second man, a Salvadoran national, in Council Bluffs. DHS says he appears on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted Fugitives list and is wanted for five counts of murder. U.S. authorities previously convicted him for illegally crossing the border.
His identity is being withheld because he remains part of an ongoing investigation. Governor Jim Pillen said Thursday that the Nebraska State Patrol had a leading role in the investigation that led to arrests.
“We are now able to confirm publicly that the MS-13 arrests are the direct result of incredible work by our team at the Nebraska State Patrol,” Pillen says. “This is a great example of a strong state-federal partnership, and how valuable that communication and coordination is to keeping Nebraskans safe. I’m very proud of this work, and I’ve asked that the State Patrol continue its work to get these illegal, violent criminals off our streets and deported out of our county.”
According to public statements, the Nebraska State Patrol’s Nebraska Information Analysis Center developed intelligence on the MS-13 gang member’s presence in Omaha and shared that information with federal partners at the Department of Homeland Security, which led to the arrests.
(Photo and mugshots: U.S. Department of Homeland Security)