Five members of the notorious MS-13 street gang on Long Island were accused by federal prosecutors of killing two of their own members for associating with a rival gang and cooperating with authorities, as reported on Wednesday.
The gang members allegedly strangled and beat Yoneli Ramos-Moreno to death in Kings Park in 2023 for his ties to the rival Latin Kings gang, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
In a twisted turn of events, the same group turned on one of Ramos-Moreno’s killers, Carlos Lopez-Lopez, who was drowned and stabbed to death in Blue Point in March due to suspicions of his collaboration with law enforcement, prosecutors disclosed.
“The legal terminology in the indictment does not capture the extreme brutality with which the defendants, acting for MS-13, carried out the beatings, strangulations, and murders of Ramos-Moreno and the plot to kill Lopez-Lopes,” stated Joseph Nocella, US Attorney for New York’s Eastern District.
“The charges outlined in the indictment demonstrate the determination of my office and our law enforcement partners to hold ruthless transnational criminal organizations like MS-13 accountable for their actions and to continue efforts to eliminate them from Long Island,” Nocello emphasized.
The five alleged gang members — David “Tenebroso” Orellana-Aleman, 27; Noel “Discreto” Portillo-Romero, 27; Cruz Eduardo “Poison” Sanchez-Gutierrez, 29; Ernesto “Perverso” Torres-Hernandez, 26; and Omar “Little Ejecutor” Zavala-Ventura, 27 — are currently held in federal custody without bail.
Prosecutors revealed that Ramos-Moreno was lured to a Hauppauge parking lot on October 28, 2023, before being taken to Sunken Meadow Bluff, where he was strangled and beaten to death.
Lopez-Lopez, who was part of the group involved in Ramos-Moreno’s murder, was killed by the other gang members on March 3 of this year due to suspicions of his cooperation with law enforcement.
The five defendants are also accused of engaging in drug trafficking.
According to authorities, they are affiliated with the MS-13 Hollywood and Carlington “cliques.”
La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, is an international gang originating in Central America, with members from El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico expanding into the US, particularly on Long Island.
The gang is infamous for its violent attacks, often utilizing machetes against their victims.
Authorities have noted their tendency to turn on associates at the slightest suspicion of betrayal.
“The indictment of these five individuals connected to the brutal executions of two people — all because they were perceived as disloyal — underscores our dedication to holding these defendants accountable,” stated Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina in a release.
Portilla-Romero, Sachez-Gutierrez, and Torres-Hernandez were apprehended on Tuesday and are awaiting arraignment, federal prosecutors indicated, while Orellana-Aleman, currently in federal immigration custody, and Zavala-Ventura, held by the FBI, will be arraigned at a later date.
