Florida has become the focal point of a major crackdown on the MS-13 gang with the recent arrest of three suspected members linked to a series of cold case murders. According to FOX 35 Orlando , U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the arrests are part of Operation Shadow of the Beast, a concerted effort to bring to justice those involved in some brutal homicides dating back to 2014 and 2015.

During a news conference, as CBS News Miami reported, Bondi and Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony detailed the results of the joint operation with federal agencies, which led to the capture of the suspects. The attorney general declared a stern warning, "These indictments are a warning to all criminals. We don't care how long ago you committed the crime, we don't care where you go, we will find you, we will arrest you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law." Amongst those arrested, one was found hanging drywall in Florida, while another was apprehended in Minnesota.

The individuals recently taken into custody include Jose Ezequiel Gamez-Maravilla, Hugo Adiel Bermudez-Martinez, and Wilber Rosendo Navarro-Escobar, with the first two arrested in Lake County, Florida, and North Lauderdale, Florida, respectively, and the third in Minnesota. "They're not just a street gang. They are a highly organized terrorist organization," Bondi described the nature of MS-13, as reported by FOX 35 Orlando . Bondi underscored their ties to violence, drugs, and firearm trafficking in her description of the gang's activities.

The captured individuals are all alleged to have been living in the United States illegally and now face life imprisonment, with the potential of a death sentence if convicted of murder.