A major player in MS-13 leadership and two men inside a van full of drugs during a high-speed police chase are some of the illegal immigrants nabbed in Maryland, according to federal authorities.

The state’s ICE field office said Monday the suspects were taken into federal custody through both arrests and jail partnerships amid the nationwide push to round up criminals in the country illegally.

Last week’s arrest of David Alejandro Orellana-Aleman, 27, was described as a “significant blow to the leadership and organization of the MS-13 terrorist organization” by Maryland’s Acting ICE Director Matthew Elliston.

“We will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing illegal alien offenders from our communities,” Mr. Elliston said.   

Mr. Orellana-Aleman was arrested Feb. 27 by federal agents during an operation in Hyattsville. 

ICE said he ran outposts for the gang in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe, and had been charged with gun, extortion and terrorism-related offenses in his native El Salvador in 2016.

He entered the U.S. at an unknown date and time, authorities said. ICE noted that Mr. Orellana-Aleman was arrested in December for driving without a license in Prince George’s County. 

Mr. Orellana-Aleman remains in ICE custody Monday.

Two of the men arrested in the Feb. 20 police chase were turned over to immigration authorities by jail officials after being initially released by a judge.

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said it placed immigration detainers on Walter Caberera Miranda, 28, and Jose Torres Juarez, 19, following their involvement in an erratic chase that saw the fleeing suspects drive their van at speeds of up to 100 mph and crash into innocent drivers.

The sheriff’s office said Mr. Caberera Miranda and Mr. Torres Juarez were passengers in the pursuit which started in Frederick County and ended with the arrest of four people in Montgomery County.

Crack cocaine, fentanyl and drug paraphernalia were found inside the suspects’ stolen van, police said.

Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said the two men were going to be turned over to immigration officials after they faced car theft and drug charges in court, but a judge let both walk out on a promise to return.

“Those same two suspects were released on personal recognizance on initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner,” the sheriff said. “These two individuals are being held as removable criminal aliens only because ICE detainers were placed on them by 287(g)-trained correctional officers. 

“Without those detainers, they would have been released immediately, potentially returning to criminal activity or disappearing before trial,” Sheriff Jenkins added.

Both suspects remain in federal custody.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.