HSI Baltimore investigation lands Maryland MS-13 gang member 25 years in federal prison for racketeering, murder

BALTIMORE — An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore, FBI Baltimore and the Montgomery County Police Department resulted in a 25-year federal prison sentence for a Maryland MS-13 street gang member for his role in a racketeering conspiracy. Oscar Efrain Zavala-Urrea, 23, a Salvadoran national residing in Silver Spring, received the 25-year prison sentence March 19 for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy that included a murder related to his activities as part of the notorious MS-13 street gang. Zavala-Urrea’s prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release.

“Oscar Efrain Zavala-Urrea’s participation in a transnational street gang led to his participation in some horrific crimes,” said HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris. “He will spend the next quarter century of his life paying for the terrors that he inflicted on Maryland residents. HSI stands firm with our partners in our commitment to uphold the rule of law and protect our communities from the devastation of organized crime.”

As detailed in the investigation, from at least January 2020, Zavala-Urrea was a member or associate of the MS-13 Fulton Locos Salvatruchas clique and agreed with members of MS-13 to conduct and participate in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity that included murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion and drug distribution.

According to the investigation, over the course of several weeks, Zavala-Urrea and other MS-13 members met to plan the murder of a suspected member of a rival gang who had previously assaulted an MS-13 member. They discussed in detail each participant’s role in the murder, conducted surveillance to determine when their victim left his apartment, and obtained the firearms that they intended to use to murder their victim.

On the night of May 25, 2020, Zavala-Urrea and other MS-13 gang members gathered in a park in Silver Spring and Zavala-Urrea met with each to discuss the planned murder, which was to happen the next morning.

The investigation revealed that on May 26, 2020, at approximately 7 a.m., two Fulton Locos Salvatruchas gang members approached the suspected rival gang member as he left his apartment in Silver Spring and fired handguns at him repeatedly, hitting him eight times and killing him.

Following the murder, Zavala-Urrea and a co-conspirator traveled to Annapolis, where they met a third MS-13 gang member. Zavala-Urrea and the co-conspirator changed their clothes and disposed of the old clothing. They gave the third gang member a backpack containing two firearms for safekeeping. A few days later, Maryland State Police stopped the third gang member, who had the backpack containing the two firearms.

Zavala-Urrea admitted that to help the gang raise money, he also participated in the sale of marijuana and the collection of extortion money from brothels and other businesses, providing the proceeds to gang leadership.

MS-13 is an international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the state of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Frederick County, and throughout the United States. In Maryland and elsewhere, MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region. MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline within the gang and against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multiagency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case.

Anyone with information about transnational gang activity is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. Call HSI’s nationwide Tip Line at 877-HSI-4-TIP (877-474-4847). The HSI Tip Line is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI Baltimore’s mission to increase public safety in our Maryland communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSIBaltimore.