The US Government increased the reward for information leading to the capture or conviction of two leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha, MS-13 of Honduras, one of whom could be in Guatemala, according to police investigations.
The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced increased rewards under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
The authorities offer up to US$10 million, about Q76 million, for information that leads to the arrest or conviction of Yulan Adonay Archaga Caríasalias “Porky“, and up to US$5 million, about Q38.5 million, for data that allows locating Víctor Eduardo Morales Zelaya, alias “Raven“.
Both are accused of being leaders of MS-13 in Honduras. According to US court documents, Archaga Carías and Morales Zelaya are accused of directing the gang’s criminal activities, including drug trafficking, money laundering, murders, kidnappings and other violent acts.
Who is Porky?
Archaga Carías, of Honduran nationality, is considered one of the main leaders of MS-13 in Central America. He was captured in Honduras in 2015 for the crimes of money laundering and illicit association; However, he escaped in February 2020 with the help of an armed commando during a court hearing.
According to documents presented before the Court of the Southern District of New York, Archaga Carías directed drug trafficking operations for MS-13 and coordinated the transfer of cocaine shipments from South America to the US. US authorities also accuse him of providing weapons, money and protection to criminal structures linked to drug trafficking.
The FBI included him on its list of the 10 most wanted fugitives and considers him armed and extremely dangerous. Furthermore, the organization InSight Crime has identified him as one of the most influential leaders within MS-13 in Honduras and other Central American countries.
Police investigations in Honduras possibly place him in Guatemala, where he would have sought refuge to evade the US authorities.
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I could be in Guatemala
A report released in April 2025 by the Honduran media ICN indicates that Honduran investigators identified phone calls, emails, social media accounts and location records that allegedly link Archaga Carías with properties located between zones 4 and 5 of Guatemala City.
According to this investigation, the analysis of frequent contacts on Telegram and other platforms made it possible to track movements attributed to the leader of MS-13. The documentation would also include satellite maps, communications records and audios that, according to Honduran authorities, point to their possible presence in Guatemalan territory.
Honduran authorities maintain that Guatemala could have been used by Archaga Carías as a shelter point due to its geographical proximity and the connections that MS-13 maintains in different Central American countries. However, so far Guatemalan authorities have not reported any operations to capture him.