Federal authorities have charged two additional members of the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas (CLS) clique of MS-13 in Baltimore as part of a racketeering conspiracy, bringing the total number of defendants to six. The superseding indictment, unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, now includes charges related to four murders and two attempted murders.
According to prosecutors, Manuel Alexander “Snappy” “23” Lara Morales, 25, from El Salvador, led the CLS clique in Baltimore since about 2023. Eliseo Alexander “10” “Zorro” “Terrible” Lopez Alvarez, 23, also from El Salvador and second in command, allegedly authorized the September 4, 2023 murder of another gang member or associate over a drug sales dispute. On that day, several CLS members are accused of taking the victim to a wooded area in southeast Baltimore and fatally shooting him; his body was discovered five days later. After this incident, Lara Morales is said to have formally inducted two participants into CLS.
The indictment further alleges that on October 13, Miguel “Canabe” Riva Salvador; Josue Anibal “Flaco” Guerra Ramos; Olvin Josue “Elevado” Posas Alvarenga; and others targeted an individual set to testify against Riva Salvador in a pending criminal case. They found this person behind his house and shot him multiple times; he survived.
Additional allegations detail three other murders involving CLS members between November 2023 and April 2024. In one case from November 2023, gang members reportedly used a fake Instagram account posing as a woman to lure their victim before killing him in southeast Baltimore—a crime allegedly approved by Lara Morales beforehand. In March 2024, Cuestas and Riva Salvador are accused of fatally shooting another individual on a city street before fleeing by car. The following month saw Guerra Ramos involved in a double shooting that left one person dead and another injured.
Authorities emphasize that these charges are allegations at this stage: “Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.”
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes praised federal and local agencies for their cooperation: “U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, BPD, and DPSCS for their work in the investigation.” She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James G. O’Donohue III and Kenneth S. Clark for prosecuting the case along with support from Baltimore’s State’s Attorney’s Office.
This prosecution falls under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), which was established by Executive Order 14159—Protecting the American People Against Invasion—to target criminal cartels and transnational gangs operating within U.S borders as well as abroad through interagency collaboration.
The case is also part of Operation Take Back America—a national effort led by the Department of Justice aimed at eliminating illegal immigration-related crime networks including cartels and transnational organizations.
Law enforcement encourages anyone with information about MS-13 activities to contact national tiplines operated by both FBI (1-866-STP-MS13) or HSI (1-866-DHS-2-ICE).
More details about resources offered by Maryland’s U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md or https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.