A US member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) was sentenced on Friday to 28 years in prison for his involvement in two murders, as well as a money laundering scheme, authorities reported.
The man, identified as Franklyn Edgardo Sánchez, 25, belonged to the group Weedams Locos Salvatrucha, part of the international criminal gang organization Mara Salvatrucha, which originated in El Salvador but spread throughout Central America and the rest of the continent, including the United States.
Sanchez was accused of two murders: one in February 2020, when he killed a former gang member because he suspected him of collaborating with authorities, while in August of the same year, he killed another person for the same reason as the first crime.
After transferring funds to Mara Salvatrucha members in El Salvador, the sentenced man also contributed to money laundering.
The Justice Department stated that the group operated in the Adelphi area of Maryland, reported EFE.
The office said that part of the Mara Salvatrucha’s activities involve committing violent acts to demonstrate their loyalty to the gang, and they are obliged to kill rival gang members when the opportunity arises.
The recent case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). This program brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to combat criminal groups and reduce violent crime, the Justice Department said.
Similarly, the Justice Department said that the case corresponds to an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force to disrupt and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States.