U.S. law enforcement arrested an alleged top MS-13 gang leader and Salvadoran illegal immigrant, Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, 24, on Thursday in a Virginia operation involving the FBI, along with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and local law enforcement agencies.

“I’m proud to announce that early this morning our brave law enforcement officers conducted a successful operation that captured a top MS-13 national leader. DOJ will not rest until we make America safe again,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on X.

According to Attorney General Bondi, Santos was running the gang’s operations on the America’s East Coast.

The law enforcement agencies conducted a raid on Santos’s mother’s residence in Woodbridge, Virginia, early Thursday morning.

After agents staking out the house determined that Santos was inside, an FBI SWAT team breached the entrances of the home.

They located him attempting to hide in an alcove leading to the house’s garage, but he ducked behind a wall and out of sight when he saw the law enforcement agents.

He allegedly refused to heed demands to surrender, and the SWAT team deployed stun grenades before dragging the alleged cartel terrorist out of the house and into custody.

Law enforcement discovered multiple firearms, along with two silencers, in the house and booked Santos on firearm charges.

According to an affidavit reviewed by Fox News, law enforcement discovered items in Santos’ room suggesting his membership in the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, formally designated as a foreign terrorist organization by President Donald Trump.

The gang was originally formed in Los Angeles by Salvadoran immigrants and is known for its drug and human trafficking, murder, rape, and violent intimidation among a slew of other crimes.

As a Salvadoran illegal immigrant and alleged gang leader, Santos appears to be a prime candidate for deportation to El Salvador, where the U.S. has already sent hundreds of members of the Tren de Aragua Venezuelan terrorist gang. There, they are being held in the maximum security CECOT prison, designed specifically to house gang members.

Documents from Virginia courts appear to show that Santos was previously arrested in 2018 for marijuana possession and driving without a license, in 2019 once again for marijuana possession, and in 2023 for driving an uninsured and un-inspected car without a license. Despite his long criminal history, he was allowed to remain in the country.