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A notorious criminal on El Salvador’s list of most-wanted gang members has been taken into custody on United States soil, according to federal officials.
Antonio Israel Lazo-Quintanilla was arrested in Maryland earlier this month after police caught him allegedly driving without a license, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a news release.
While the arrest marks Lazo-Quintanilla’s first known run-in with the law in the United States, authorities learned he is wanted in his home country for numerous crimes, including aggravated homicide, extortion and possession of drugs, according to DHS.
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“Seventy percent of ICE arrests are of criminal illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the United States,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “This gang member on El Salvador’s most wanted list is a perfect example of ICE targeting the worst of the worst.
“He may lack a violent rap sheet in the U.S., but this criminal illegal alien is clearly a public safety threat.
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“The media’s false claims that ICE is not arresting the worst of the worst simply has no grounding,” McLaughlin added. “In reality, ICE is arresting criminal illegal aliens before they can victimize Americans.”
Lazo-Quintanilla, whose mugshot shows a large “666” tattoo across his forehead, is also “a confirmed member of the 18th Street Gang” in El Salvador, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by the Trump administration, according to DHS.
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Details about when Lazo-Quintanilla entered the country were not immediately available.
The 18th Street Gang is “one of the largest gangs in our hemisphere and has conducted attacks against security personnel, public officials, and civilians in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras,” according to a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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