An alleged member of the MS-13 gang wanted in connection with murder, attempted murder and extortion was arrested in Pensacola last week, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office.

David Ernesto Nolasco Soriano, 31, of El Salvador, made a first appearance and had a detention hearing Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Pensacola.

Nolasco Soriano was a fugitive who was located in Pensacola and arrested Wednesday afternoon near the Cordova Mall by the FBI and the Pensacola Police Department.

He was wanted for charges in Maryland that include conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise; conspiracy to murder, maim, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering; and attempted murder, maiming and assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Nolasco Soriano's charges are tied to a 2018 indictment charging more than two dozen alleged MS-13 members of racketeering activity that included murders, attempted murders, conspiracies to commit murder, extortion, robbery, kidnapping, drug trafficking and money laundering.

The indictment alleges the defendants murdered five individuals in Maryland and dismembered three of them. In addition, the defendants allegedly conspired to murder eight individuals, maiming and assaulting one of the individuals with a machete, shooting one individual in the head, and kidnapping and threatening another individual with a firearm to extract payment for extortion.

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At the time of his arrest, Nolasco Soriano was working in Pensacola and Destin and had a Pensacola mailing address, according to the news release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles J. Kahn Jr. detained Nolasco Soriano and ordered the U.S. Marshals to transport him back to Maryland to await trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney and Border Security Coordinator James M. Ustynoski handled the detention hearing in the Northern District of Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth S. Clark in the District of Maryland is prosecuting the case.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, MS-13 is a national and international gang that has been functioning in the U.S. since the 1980s, and whose members primarily hail from El Salvador. Estimates are that the gang has more than 30,000 members worldwide and more than 10,000 members operating in at least 40 U.S. states.

The gang's reputation for extreme violence is noteworthy even among criminal gangs, and President Donald Trump has described MS-13 members as "animals" who are "pouring into our country" when calling for a wall across the southern border of the U.S.

Still, some critics argue that the president is exaggerating MS-13's size and influence, noting that MS-13 members account for less than 1 percent of active U.S. gang members.

Kevin Robinson can be reached at krobinson4@pnj.com or 850-435-8527.