David Alejandro Orellana-Aleman, 27, was arrested in Hyattsville last week as part of a joint operation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the FBI.
Orellana-Aleman, a high-ranking member of the transnational MS-13 gang, was wanted in El Salvador for gun possession, extortion, and terrorist affiliation, according to ICE officials.
“The arrest of David Alejandro Orellana-Aleman is a significant blow to the leadership and organization of the MS-13 terrorist organization,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Acting Field Office Director Matthew Elliston.
Authorities say Orellana-Aleman was in charge of MS-13 operations in the United States, Mexico, and Europe.
“Maryland is immediately safer because of this arrest,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno. “Working together, we took custody of one of the highest-ranking gang members in the United States.”
Orellana-Aleman was arrested in El Salvador in 2016, but then illegally entered the United States on an unknown date and location, according to federal officials.
His presence in Maryland was discovered in December 2024, when Prince George’s County Police apprehended him for driving without permission.
Following his most recent arrest, Orellana-Aleman is still in ICE custody.
“David Alejandro Orellana-Aleman is no longer in his alleged position of power directing violence,” according to DelBagno. “His arrest demonstrates the success we can have when we collectively investigate and disrupt violent criminals seeking to exploit our communities.”
