A court in El Salvador has sentenced Armando Eliú Melgar Díaz, alias ‘Blue de Gánster’, a leader of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang who the government refused to extradite to the United States despite requests to try him for alleged terrorism, to 39 years in prison.
«The reading of the judgment of the public hearing against ‘Blue’ has concluded. We have succeeded in having him sentenced to the maximum penalty for each of the crimes committed. He will not live at liberty again,» Salvadoran Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado said in a message on Twitter.
The gang leader was sentenced by the Third Sentencing Court of the department of Santa Ana, in the west of the country, for committing three crimes: illicit association, illegal trafficking and conspiracy to commit the crime of homicide.
The case became relevant after prosecutors closed the door to the possible extradition of ‘Blue’ to the United States, arguing that he should be tried in El Salvador. Washington requested his extradition in September 2020, but the justice system refused to hand him over.
Blue’ was arrested by agents of the International Police (Interpol) in September 2020 at the entrance of the maximum security Zacatecoluca prison, after being released.
His arrest was followed by a wave of violence that resulted in 90 deaths in just one weekend, prompting Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to declare a nationwide state of emergency. Since then, more than 54,000 suspected gang members have been arrested. The measure remains in place despite criticism from human rights organizations.
