Prosecutors Seek Maximum Sentences for 485 Alleged MS-13 Members in El Salvador Mass Trial

The Independent reported that prosecutors delivered closing arguments on July 15, 2026, and requested maximum sentences for each of the 485 defendants in a mass trial of alleged MS-13 members that had lasted three months. The defendants faced charges including homicide, extortion, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and human trafficking for a total of 14,420 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, among them 444 killings.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that the gang used approximately 1,200 children in its criminal activities, exploited 638 women, and formed 32 groups, two of which operated from outside El Salvador.

Prosecutors played audio recordings of calls attributed to gang leaders allegedly ordering killings and other crimes during the hearings. They also requested a total of $9 million in civil damages from the defendants. The trial was conducted virtually, with defendants appearing via camera from the Terrorism Confinement Center, a mega-prison built by the government of President Nayib Bukele where visits, recreation, and education are prohibited.

The facility has also housed hundreds of migrants deported from the United States. It remains unclear when a verdict is expected. The state of emergency, enacted in March 2022, suspended some constitutional rights and enabled the detentions.

Officials say more than 92,480 people accused of belonging to gangs or having ties to them have been imprisoned since then. President Nayib Bukele has stated that 8,000 innocent people have been released. Human rights organizations have registered more than 6,000 complaints of human rights violations and arbitrary detentions and documented at least 547 deaths in custody.

A July 2023 reform of El Salvador’s criminal code allows collective trials for individuals detained under the state of emergency, grouped by gang or territory. This was the country’s second mass trial of gang members. In November 2025, 45 members of the Barrio 18 gang were convicted of various crimes including extortion and homicide, with one leader sentenced to 397 years in prison.