A mass trial of 486 suspected leaders of the MS-13 gang has begun in El Salvador, the country's attorney general's office announced, marking one of the largest criminal proceedings in the Central American nation's recent history. The defendants are collectively accused of committing more than 47,000 crimes between 2012 and 2022, including murder, extortion, femicide, disappearances, and drug and arms trafficking. The attorney general's office said it had "compelling" evidence to support the charges and that it would seek "maximum penalties" for those convicted.
Among those on trial are individuals allegedly involved in a devastating wave of gang violence in March 2022, when 87 people were killed in a single weekend. That surge of bloodshed prompted President Nayib Bukele to declare a formal "war on gangs" and impose a state of emergency that has remained in place ever since. The emergency measures expanded police powers to arrest those suspected of gang affiliation or support, and suspended certain constitutional rights. Legal changes enacted under the state of emergency have also made mass trials of this scale legally permissible.
The accused face an additional charge of "rebellion" for allegedly attempting to maintain territorial control in order to establish a parallel state — a reflection of how deeply entrenched gang structures had become in parts of El Salvador. The attorney general's office stated that "for years, this structure has operated systematically, instilling fear and grief in Salvadoran families" and had limited the country's economic and social development. Of the 486 suspects, 413 are already in custody, while arrest warrants have been issued for 73 others who are being prosecuted in absentia.
MS-13, formally known as Mara Salvatrucha, is a transnational criminal organisation that was founded in Los Angeles in the 1980s by immigrants who had fled El Salvador's civil war. Although it originated in the United States, the gang's presence is now largest in Central America. The US government designated MS-13 a terrorist organisation last year.
The trial has drawn international attention both for its sheer scale and its broader context. Human rights organisations have raised concerns that El Salvador's state of emergency has led to arbitrary detentions, with tens of thousands of people arrested since 2022, not all of whom may have genuine gang ties. The outcome of this proceeding is likely to be closely watched as a test of whether El Salvador's sweeping security crackdown can deliver accountable justice alongside its dramatic reductions in gang violence.