Search for 43-year-old Yulan andony Archaga Carías.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday that it is offering up to $5 million in compensation for information that leads to the arrest of Honduras’ highest-ranking MS-13 leader.
Yulan andony Archaga Carías, 43, is a Honduras national and fugitive on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list.
“This terrorist leader will no longer be able to live freely as the evil of MS-13 destroys communities across the US and the Western Hemisphere,” Attorney General Pamela Bondy said in a statement.
In 2021, Arcaga Karias was charged with trading in the Southern District of New York and charged with assault, drug trafficking and firearms crimes. The co-defendants in this case are currently under US custody. Three other MS-13 leaders were also charged with assault, drug trafficking and firearms crimes. One of them is under Honduras custody, while the other two remain large.
Arcaga Kalia’s quest is part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to crack down on cross-border criminal gang activities. MS-13 and Tren de Aragua were officially designated foreign terrorist organizations by the United States on February 20, 2025.
“Destroying and ultimately eliminating the MS-13 remains one of the FBI’s top priorities and will not halt until its mission is complete,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement from DOJ. “Alongside our dedicated law enforcement partners, the FBI finds Archaga Carías, a terrorist who is approaching the end of the terrorist rule at the helm of the MS-13.”
The US has paid $6 million to El Salvador for a year at the largest security prison known as CECOT to retain gang members who have been identified as suspected of being deported by the Trump administration.
The Trump administration has been met with legal challenges regarding the deportation of such illegal immigrants. Over the weekend, the US Supreme Court temporarily blocked new deportations of Venezuelan gang members in northern Texas under 18th century wartime law.
President Donald Trump said Monday that deportation was a promise of a campaign he is fulfilling.
“I’m doing what I’m doing and I’m removing criminals from our country, but the courts don’t seem to want me to do that,” the president wrote in the Social Post of Truth. “My team is great and incredible, but they are stymed on every turn even on the US Supreme Court, which is something I really respect, but it doesn’t seem to want to send violent criminals and terrorists back to Venezuela or any other country.
If convicted, Arcaga Karias faces the biggest prison penalty and the mandatory minimum penalty of 40 years in prison. The judge decides the verdict.
The DOJ said only tips sent to the US government will be considered for rewards. Chipstars abroad must report to US embassies and consulates, but US embassies can contact their local FBI offices.
