Alleged MS-13 member in Maryland accused of ordering gang hits in Houston

MS-13 is one of the most feared and brutal gangs in the world, and its members have been convicted of crimes all across the Western hemisphere. MS-13 is one of the most feared and brutal gangs in the world, and its members have been convicted of crimes all across the Western hemisphere. Photo: FILE Photo: FILE Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close Alleged MS-13 member in Maryland accused of ordering gang hits in Houston 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

An alleged MS-13 member accused of ordering gang hits in Houston - and listening over the phone as underlings carried them out - was indicted Wednesday in Maryland as part of a sweeping case against at least a dozen members of the bloody street gang.

Luis Arnoldo Flores-Reyes - also known as "Maloso" - was charged in a four-count indictment alleging everything from racketeering to extortion to drug trafficking over a three-year period starting in 2015. The 37-year-old alleged member of the Sailors Clique of MS-13 is in custody, according to a Department of Justice press release, though it wasn't immediately clear when or where he was arrested.

Eleven others have already been charged in the case.

The pattern of criminal violence described in court papers included everything from stabbings to shootings across Maryland, and in January 2018 it spilled over into Texas when Flores-Reyes phoned up a fellow gang member and ordered the slaying of rivals in Houston, according to court filings.

On Jan. 25, authorities charged, Flores-Reyes and other MS-13 members talked about buying a gun to avenge the murder of an MS-13 member in Houston, supposedly at the hands of a rival gang.

That same day, Flores-Reyes allegedly ordered the hits, and two days later he told his Houston counterparts that they'd need to carry out the killings if they wanted to be promoted.

READ MORE: MS-13 was two minutes from execution when police intervened in Houston

After three days of planning and discussion, on Jan. 28, MS-13 members in Houston shot at and tried to kill rival gang members - all while Flores-Reyes and other gang members listened on the phone.

It's not clear whether they succeeded.

Although it was the only murder plot credited to Flores-Reyes in the lengthy federal court filing, it's not the only one mentioned.

In April 2017, another alleged gang member, Donald Roberto Mendez-Lopez, is accused of killing a homeless person living in a wooden shed in Maryland. With the help of another MS-13 member, Mendez-Lopez allegedly stabbed and beat the victim to death before leaving behind the body - all in an effort to win a promotion in the gang.

A few weeks later, Mendez-Lopez and his accomplice were both promoted to the rank of chequeo.

The court filings detail a number of other slayings and acts of violence, including a Jan. 8 beating Flores-Reyes allegedly ordered against another member as discipline for infractions against the gang.

The gang members met regularly to talk about gang structure and discuss snitches, according to the indictment. At times, the gang held "regional meetings" to discuss "programs" of cooperation between different cliques.

They bought guns to enforce their brutal regime, wrote rap songs celebrating their misdeeds, reeled in money from illicit drug deals and threatened anyone who they thought cooperated with the cops.

Many of the men targeted in the sprawling 30-page indictment were accused of extorting money from brothels, illegal beer stores and drug dealers in Langley Park, Maryland to help fund their criminal operations.

Some of them sent the funds back to El Salvador to bolster gang activity there, often addressing it to women to disguise its origins, authorities allege.

News of the arrest comes on the heels of another MS-13 hit that netted a series of charges in Harris County court.

Three men were collared in connection with the plot, which police intercepted just minutes before the planned slaying was to occur.

Formally known as La Mara Salvatrucha, the gang first formed in the streets of Los Angeles in the 1980s, but it flourished most in the California prison system.

Today, it's primarily based in El Salvador with distinct cliques, like the one named in the latest indictment.

The gang has been a focal point of President Donald Trump's proposed immigration policies, and its also been cited as justification for legislation like Texas Senate Bill 4, which requires local police forces to cooperate with federal immigration officers.