The measure freezes the men's property and blocks them from making any financial transactions in the U.S., Nelson said.
"MS-13 is a violent, destabilizing threat to the security of people in Central America," Nelson said. "Its criminal activities degrade economies in the region to such a degree that citizens are compelled to seek safety and better opportunities elsewhere."
The U.S. Government has captured two members of the powerful Mara Salvatrucha gang on Wednesday. This sanction was a part of the United States' effort to crack down on gangs. (Fox News)
One of the men charged, Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias, also known as "Alexander Mendoza" or "Porky," is a powerful MS-13 leader based in Honduras who is accused of ordering the killings of rival gang members and trafficking cocaine to the U.S., Nelson said. He escaped from a Honduran prison in 2020.
The administration of President Joe Biden announced a $5 million reward for information leading to Archaga Carias' capture. He remains one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives.
The second man sanctioned by the Treasury, David Elias Campbell Licona, also known as "Jorge Eduardo Perez Paz," is known as a gang associate in Nicaragua, and is currently imprisoned in the country, Nelson said. He’s accused of laundering drug money and working with Archaga Carias to plan violent attacks.
MS-13 is a transnational gang that originated in Los Angeles, and has since gained a grip on much of Central America. The American government blames violence generated by the group as a driver of migration to the U.S.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele recently launched an intensive crackdown on the gangs.