BOSTON — An accused MS-13 gang member wanted for murder is among 117 fugitives and violent offenders arrested in nine Massachusetts cities by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, officials said Monday.
The arrests in support of “Operation Take Back America” were made in Brockton, Holyoke, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Springfield, and Worcester, the U.S. Marshals said in a statement. The arrests were made over 45 days between March 31 to May 30.
The names of those arrested or the specific charges they are facing were not immediately released.
The accused MS-13 gang member, whose name was not released, was wanted out of Worcester Superior Court for charges of murder and carrying a loaded firearm without a license, officials said.
He was arrested on May 30 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island by U.S. Marshals, Worcester Police, Massachusetts State Police and Pawtucket Police.
He has a criminal history including assaults and carrying dangerous weapons, and has been wanted since June 2024, officials said.
The initiative announced Monday aimed at capturing fugitives and violent offenders with ties to drug trafficking organizations and transnational criminal organizations, acting U.S. Marshal Matt Lawlor said in a statement.
“The success of this operation is truly a testament to the dedication to duty and the commitment to teamwork exhibited by our local, state, and federal partners,” Lawlor said.
Those arrested during the fugitive apprehension initiative face charges including homicide, robbery, sex offenses, felonious assault, felonious narcotics, and firearms violations, Lawlor said.
The cities chosen for the initiative are high crime areas identified by the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative launched in 2001 that aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence in local neighborhoods.
During Operation Take Back America, investigators seized nine firearms, 544 rounds of ammunition and 188 grams of narcotics, officials said.
The U.S. Marshals Service is the federal government’s primary agency for fugitive investigations.
The Marshals, who have the broadest arrest authority among federal law enforcement, are “committed to reducing violence in our communities by apprehending and removing violent offenders that are negatively impacting our local communities across the Commonwealth,” Lawlor said.
Formed in 1999, the Boston-based Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force assists state and local agencies in locating and apprehending the most violent fugitives.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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