Fugitive convict held in Loudoun

A convicted killer and suspected member of the street gang MS-13 who escaped from a prison in El Salvador last year has been apprehended in Loudoun County by local and federal authorities.

Juan Elias Rodriguez-Luna, 24, was apprehended late last month, nearly 11 months after he escaped from the Ciudad Barrios prison in El Salvador, where he was serving time for murder.

The investigation was a joint effort between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Gang Intelligence Unit, who learned earlier this summer that Rodriguez-Luna was hiding out in the area.

MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, is considered one of the most dangerous and violent street gangs in the U.S.

“This arrest is an excellent example of how we used all of our tools in a unified approach to ensure that our country is not a safe haven for fugitive criminals from around the world,” said Mark McGraw, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in the District.

Rodriguez-Luna is one of a number of prisoners who have escaped in recent years from Ciudad Barrios, a penitentiary in San Miguel. Since 2001, about 40 inmates have managed to escape, according to Hispanic news site www.laprensagrafica.com.

On July 27, Rodriguez-Luna was located in a vehicle on Route 7 in the Ashburn area. Initially he was detained on immigration charges and it was discovered earlier this week that he had escaped from an El Salvador prison.

Rodriguez-Luna had been staying at various residences in Northern Virginia for about the past four months, investigators said.

He is now in federal custody awaiting deportation and fugitive hearings, authorities said.

“We will continue working with our law-enforcement partners here and abroad to identify and arrest those criminals seeking to evade justice by attempting to hide in the United States,” Mr. McGraw said. “Our message is clear: You will be found and arrested.”

The FBI has said an estimated 10,000 MS-13 members are in the United States. Others estimate the gang’s membership to be as high as 30,000.

The largest concentrations are in Virginia, Maryland, New York and California.

The FBI has estimated the MS-13 membership in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to be at 50,000.