Who is “El Crook”, the dangerous leader of Mara Salvatrucha who is allegedly linked to the Bukele government?

He is considered one of the “twelve apostles of the Devil”, in addition to being the second in command of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), one of the most dangerous and powerful gangs in El Salvador. Elmer Canales Rivera – aka “El Crook” – He was arrested and extradited to the United States to face four counts of terrorism and narcoterrorism.

His arrest and possible negotiations with the American authorities could complicate his gang, but also the government of Nayib Bukele and some media outlets have said he would negotiate a reduced sentence in exchange for information.

And according to BBC World , “El Crook” is a “key person” in the alleged negotiations that two senior Salvadoran government officials allegedly had with the Mara Salvatrucha to reduce homicides.

Bukele, however, has categorically denied any connection. While the gang member was in a prison in El Salvador where he was supposed to serve a 40-year sentence, he was released after months. He then lived in Mexico until he was arrested by the American police.

Elmer Canales Rivera is one of the founders of the “historical ranfla” the original control panel of the Mara Salvatrucha.

This “ranfla” is the team that would make all the most important decisions of the MS-13, following the orders of the “Devil”: Borromeo Enríque Henríquez, the supreme leader of the gang and for whom the ranfla is known as the “Twelve” apostles of the Devil.

After leaving El Salvador, “El Crook” was in Mexico for a time where he allegedly carried out the “Mara Salvatrucha Mexico Program” plan. There, according to the US accusation, he allied himself with the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas Cartel.

For this reason, the US authorities are reportedly looking for the 13 important leaders of MS-13. They have already managed to arrest three of them, including “El Crook” who will be the first to answer the charges.

However, during his statement, the investigation against the two senior government officials Bukele who allegedly negotiated with the gang to reduce homicides between 2019 and 2021 in addition to asking for “support” from the president.

However, US officials also point out that negotiations took place under other past administrations.

But “El Crook” was released under the Bukele government. According to local media, The man lived in a luxury apartment in San Salvador, the capital until he had to flee to Guatemala and, later, to Mexico.

For its part, the government has been reluctant to share information: when the BBC asked the vice president of El Salvador, Félix Ulloa, about the release from prison of Canales Rivera, His response was a brief “no idea.”

“I don’t know, because we had some kind of problem with the American government regarding the extradition request and all that. “I don’t know if this is the same case for which extradition was requested.”

The authority stressed that “The government has no possibility of solving the problem because it is in the hands of the judiciary” and it does not have control over all the powers of the state.