Maryland State Wire

Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has unsealed an indictment against four members of the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas (CLS) clique of MS-13 in Baltimore. They are charged with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act Conspiracy.

This is the second indictment related to MS-13 RICO Act conspiracy activity unsealed by the office this week. On July 15, three other MS-13 members were indicted on similar charges connected to a murder and drug trafficking in Prince George’s County.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the CLS indictment alongside Ivan J. Bates, State’s Attorney for Baltimore City; Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski from the FBI – Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Richard Worley from the Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).

The indictment states that since at least 2023, defendants have been involved in a racketeering conspiracy as part of MS-13 CLS, committing murders, distributing drugs, and extorting victims.

In November 2023, Eliseo Alexander Lopez Alvarez, also known as “10,” “Zorro,” and “Terrible,” along with Olvin Josue Posas Alvarenga and others used a fake Instagram account to lure a victim to a wooded area in southeast Baltimore where they committed murder. In March 2024, Kevin Cuestas and another member killed a victim on a street before fleeing. In April 2024, Josue Anibal Guerra Ramos shot two victims on a street, killing one.

The charges are allegations; those indicted are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, BPD, and DPSCS for their investigative work and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James G. O’Donohue III and Kenneth S. Clark for prosecuting the case with assistance from the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.

Additionally, it falls under Summer Heat—an FBI initiative targeting violent crime during summer months by surging resources alongside state partners to dismantle gangs nationwide.

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to contact law enforcement through available tiplines: FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 or HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

For more details about initiatives by Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office visit justice.gov/usao-md or justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.