HSI Baltimore joint investigation lands 2 MS-13 members in prison for life

GREENBELT, Md. — A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore investigation resulted in life imprisonment for two members of the notorious MS-13 street gang for their part in a racketeering, murder and extortion conspiracies. The FBI’s Washington field office, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Division, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Bedford County Police Department and the Montgomery County Police Department assisted with the investigation.

Luis Flores-Reyes, 42, of Arlington, Virginia, received his sentence Feb. 22 and Jairo Jacome, 40, of Langley Park, Maryland, received his sentence Feb. 23.

A federal jury convicted Flores-Reyes and Jacome for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy, murder in the aid of racketeering and an extortion conspiracy in September 2022. The jury also found Flores-Reyes guilty of a drug distribution conspiracy.

Co-defendant Brayan Contreras-Avalos, 28, of Langley Park, received a sentence of life in federal prison for his participation in the same racketeering conspiracy on Jan. 12.

MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Branches or cliques of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County.

Jacome was the highest-ranking member of the local Langley Park Salvatrucha, or LPS Clique. Flores-Reyes and Contreras-Avalos were leaders within the Sailors Clique, which held territory in Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Texas and El Salvador.

The joint investigation revealed that Flores-Reyes, Jacome and Contreras-Avalos participated in at least six murders, including two murders of minor victims, during the period of the conspiracy. Most of the victims were purported gang rivals except for one of the minor victims. In June 2016, members of MS-13, including Contreras-Avalos, stabbed to death two homeless individuals who gang members believed to be members of the 18th Street gang in Hyattsville. The investigation revealed no evidence that the victims were members of any gang.

“This investigation reflects the persistent work conducted by HSI and our federal and local law enforcement partners in pursuing the illegal activities of a violent criminal enterprise,” Harris said. “We will always prioritize the safety of our communities and aggressively pursue criminal elements who resort to violence and intimidation as a way of life.”

Among the most important rules of MS-13 is a prohibition against talking to law enforcement, embodied by the Spanish maxim “ver, oir, y callar,” which translates in English to see, hear, and say nothing. The gang enforced this rule by placing a “green light” — an order to kill — on any MS-13 member thought to be informing on the gang. In December 2016, Jacome directed and participated in the murder of a 14-year-old MS-13 member who was suspected of talking to the police. The boy’s remains were discovered more than 18 months later in a wooded area outside of Germantown.

In March 2017, a member of the Sailors Clique who was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg area of Virginia after committing a 2016 murder in Gaithersburg had a dispute with a local high school student over marijuana. In response, Flores-Reyes aided and abetted a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder this high school student. The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him. After the murder, Flores-Reyes helped to hide and protect the killers from law enforcement.

According to the investigation and evidence presented at trial, the defendants also ran an extortion scheme in and around Langley Park, extorting local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 territory. Flores-Reyes and Contreras-Avalos also trafficked illegal drugs, including marijuana and cocaine. A large share of the gang’s proceeds were sent to gang leadership using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny in El Salvador to further promote illicit activities.

At all times of this conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation and status of the gang and to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to 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, increase 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 was a joint HSI Baltimore, FBI Washington, DEA New York investigation with significant assistance from the U.S. attorney’s office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Bedford County Police Department, and the Montgomery County Police Department.

This case is 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, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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 is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. 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.

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. HSI has a nationwide tipline that you can call to report what you know. You can call the HSI tipline at 866-DHS-2-ICE. The tipline is manned 24 hours a day.

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’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.