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SalvadorMore than 55,000 arrests in seven months of “war” against gangs
Since the proclamation at the end of March by Salvadoran President Nayid Bukele of the “war” against gangs, more than 55,000 suspected members have been imprisoned.
Since the beginning of the “war” against these criminal gangs, the police and military have also seized 1,644 firearms, 2,026 vehicles. Here on October 6 during a search.
AFP
More than 55,000 suspected members of criminal gangs, the dreaded “maras”, have been arrested in El Salvador since the proclamation at the end of March by President Nayib Bukele of the “war” against these gangs which reign terror in the country, have announced the authorities on Friday.
These arrests are in addition to the 16,000 already made before the state of emergency, for which the Salvadoran Minister of Justice and Security Gustavo Villatoro asked Parliament for a new extension on Friday. Established at the end of March after a wave of 87 assassinations attributed to the “maras”, this allows arrests without a warrant, raising criticism from human rights organizations.
“This war (against organized crime), we are winning it and we will continue to deploy thousands of police and soldiers every day to stop these terrorists,” Gustavo Villatoro told MPs, who are expected to approve the law on Friday. extension until the end of November of the state of emergency. “We will continue our efforts until the last gangster is behind bars,” added Defense Minister René Francis Merino.
Since the beginning of the “war” against these criminal gangs, especially the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18, police and soldiers have also seized 1,644 firearms, 2,026 vehicles, 12,842 cell phones and 1.2 million dollars, detailed the Minister of Justice.
To cope with this influx of prisoners, the prison administration has undertaken to build a gigantic prison for 40,000 suspected criminals in Tecoluca, a rural region in the center of the country. The detention center should be delivered by the end of the year, according to the authorities.
(AFP)