News | April 19th, 2025
MS-13 Gang Members Arrested in Florida on Murder Charges
By: Charrise Lane
Three alleged MS-13 gang members were arrested on April 4, in connection with cold case murders committed in Broward and Palm Beach County, ranging as far back as 2014. The list included Jose Ezequiel Gamez-Maravilla, Hugo Adiel Bermudez-Martinez and Wilber Rosendo Navarro-Escobar. Accused of committing brutal murders, the three could now face life in jail or death sentences.
U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi, along with other local officials, held a press briefing to announce these arrests. The operation that led to the arrests is known as “Operation Sombra de la Bestia” (Operation Shadow of the Beast).
MS-13 Stats
MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, is a designated United States criminal gang originating in Los Angeles in the 1980s.
According to the FBI, MS-13 operates in at least 42 states and the District of Columbia, with thousands of members nationwide. According to the FBI, the list of crimes committed by MS-13 include drug distribution, murder, rape, prostitution, robbery, home invasions, immigration offenses, kidnapping, carjackings/auto thefts and vandalism.
In the United States, MS-13 members are located in New York, Virginia, Maryland, Florida, and California. Internationally, they are located in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Leaders of the group are often known as “First Word,” “Primera Palabra,” or “Palabrero.” Their job includes supervising and giving out assignments to members.
In 2020, a press release from the United States Department of Justice stated that the Department had prosecuted approximately 749 MS-13 gang members since 2016. More than 500 of the gang members have been convicted, including 37 who have received life sentences. The press release also reported that a whopping 74 percent of the gang members prosecuted were “unlawfully present” in the United States.
Attorney Pam Bondi Speaks
Attorney General Pam Bondi gave her remarks at a press briefing announcing the arrests and talking about the victims.
“To our victim’s families first… Thank you for being here. We’re so sorry. As Sheriff Tony said, your victim was not just sitting there in a box of papers. They are a victim. And that’s why they (law enforcement) have spent a decade finding some of these people who have killed your loved ones,” Bondi said concerning how important the victims are to law enforcement.
“This has been a long running investigation that started in 2015. The victim in this case was brutally murdered, stabbed approximately a hundred times by multiple gang members, before he was shot in the head. He suffered tremendously,” Bondi said, expressing sorrow and outrage over the violence inflicted concerning the victim.
Bondi also gave a direct warning to MS-13 and other violent offenders attempting to commit crimes.
“These indictments are a warning to all criminals. We don’t care how long ago you committed the crime. We don’t care where you go. We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will fully prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” she stated firmly.
Law Enforcement’s Input
Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony emphasized the commitment that law enforcement and multiple agencies have concerning this case.
“Here in Broward County, justice doesn’t have an expiration date. It doesn’t matter when you committed the crime. It doesn’t matter what part of this world you are from. If you come here in this community and decide that you’re going to take a life, we’re going to unleash every single resource to bring you to justice,” Tony said.
“These are victims, these are people, these are members of someone’s loved ones or family that are no longer here,” Tony stated when talking about the victims.
