A motor vehicle stop on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts last week led to the capture of a fugitive MS-13 gang member wanted for murder in El Salvador.
Massachusetts State Police said one of their troopers pulled over a black Honda Odyssey minivan on I-95 in Canton for motor vehicle violations on Feb. 18 around 8:45 p.m.
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When the trooper asked the driver for his license, the man said he didn't have one. He instead showed the trooper a photo on his phone of a driver's license issued in El Salvador and provided a passport from that country identifying him as 44-year-old Wilmer A. Garcia-Manzanares.
The state police trooper returned to his cruiser and queried the National Crime Information Center database, which revealed that Garcia-Manzanares was a fugitive from El Salvador, a member of the violent MS-13 gang and was wanted for homicide and extortion in his home country.
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The NCIC response also indicated that Garcia-Manzanares could be armed and dangerous, had committed multiple crimes in New York state in recent years and had previously been removed from the U.S. Interpol had also issued a Red Notice for Garcia-Manzanares on behalf of El Salvadoran authorities -- a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and hold a wanted person pending extradition or surrender.
Additional troopers responded to back up the stop, and Garcia-Manzanares was removed from the vehicle and arrested for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He was taken to state police barracks in Foxborough for booking.
After he was booked, Garcia-Manzanares was released into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further enforcement of federal offenses.
Information provided by federal officials indicated he had illegally entered the U.S. at least four times in recent years, including illegal border crossings into New York and Texas. Each time, he returned to the U.S. following his capture and removal.
