CV NEWS FEED // A high-ranking MS-13 leader, described by authorities as “the worst of the worst,” was arrested Thursday morning in Dale City, Virginia, as part of a Trump-backed crackdown on violent gangs.
Henry Josue Villatoro Santos, a 24-year-old MS-13 member recruited in middle school, was charged with weapons violations after a coordinated operation led by the FBI, ICE, ATF, Virginia State Police, and local authorities.
Villatoro had been living in the US illegally for over a decade.
“This is what happens when you let good cops be cops, and we’re going to continue to let good cops be cops across this country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel at a press briefing alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“In one month, the brave men and women on this task force from state, local, and federal authorities have arrested 342 criminals in the state of Virginia alone,” Patel added.
The operation was part of a broader directive from President Donald Trump to target violent gangs and illegal immigration.
In March, Trump’s administration classified MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations – a move experts praised as a major step toward dismantling gang networks.
“Pam Bondi and Kash Patel and all of the rest… they’re so incredible,” Trump said Friday. “The job they’ve done is incredible. They caught one of the worst criminals in the world.”
“And the local law enforcement has been so terrific…even first responders,” he added. “I want to thank everybody.”
After the FBI staked out Villatoro’s mother’s home in Woodbridge, Virginia, SWAT teams breached the doors and discovered Villatoro hiding. When he refused to surrender, agents deployed a stun grenade and swiftly took him into custody.
“Make no mistake — he was one of the top leaders, heading up all MS-13 violent crimes on the East Coast,” Bondi said. “He was responsible for heinous acts, and he should never have been in this country.”
Meanwhile, Youngkin reiterated that Virginia is “not a sanctuary state” and warned that local jurisdictions refusing to cooperate are putting their communities at risk.
“We are working to get the bad guys out of here,” Youngkin said, “and if you are a local jurisdiction and not helping us and not cooperating with us, you are working against the safety of all of those men and women that call your jurisdiction home.”
Virginia’s successful task force now serves as a model for law enforcement efforts across the country, according to an FBI spokesperson.
“This task force proves what’s possible when strong leadership meets real collaboration,” the spokesperson told the New York Post. “In just four weeks, we took down 342 criminals in Virginia by uniting state, local, and federal resources—backed by DOJ and driven by AG Pam Bondi’s vision.”
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