Name Unknown/El Salvador/MS-13 Leader

On January 28, 2025, ICE Columbus criminally arrested a subject a twice previously deported citizen and national of El Salvador.

The subject, whose named was not released, is known as an emerging new leader of MS-13 in Columbus, Ohio.

The USAO in the Southern District of Ohio has accepted the subject for criminal prosecution of Unlawful Re-Entry.

Similarly, on February 19, 2025, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Columbus, with support from the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested 36-year-old Luis Naula-Candelario, a citizen of Ecuador, during an operation in Pickerington, Ohio. According to ICE records, Naula-Candelario is wanted by authorities in Ecuador for charges related to homicide. He had previously been removed from the United States and unlawfully reentered the country without being inspected, admitted, or paroled by an immigration official.

Following a lead from international law enforcement partners, ICE identified Naula-Candelario as unlawfully present in the U.S. and prioritized him for enforcement due to the outstanding homicide charge. ERO officers located and apprehended him without incident. Upon arrest, ICE confirmed that he had no pending immigration relief or legal status to prevent his removal. He was processed and transferred into ICE custody.

Naula-Candelario is currently detained at an ICE facility in Ohio pending the outcome of his removal proceedings. Officials are working with Ecuadorian authorities to coordinate any extradition or deportation plans related to the pending criminal case.