A gang leader released by Bukele reveals his pacts with the government of El Salvador

In an interview with ‘El Faro,’ Charli, leader of a faction of Barrio 18, details how the rapprochement with the president’s circle began

While thousands of innocent people remain incarcerated in inhumane conditions in the prisons of El Salvador, one of the most recognized gang leaders in the Central American country, Carlos Cartagena López, aka Charli de IVU, was secretly released by the government of President Nayib Bukele and has since given an interview to the digital media El Faro in which he shows his face and shares details about his deals with the Bukele administration.

In a 41-minute interview, Charli, an important leader of the faction known as the Barrio 18 Revolutionaries, sits in a comfortable sand-colored chair wearing jeans, sneakers, a cap, and a black shirt that reads “Just Do It,” Nike’s slogan. Occasionally smiling, he provides details about how his gang began to approach Bukele’s circle, the favors he received, and how the gangs allegedly helped the president rise to power.

Bukele launched his so-called war against gangs on March 27, 2022, following a massacre of 87 people organized by criminal organizations across the country. According to journalistic investigations, this massacre occurred after the government’s secret pact with the Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang and the two factions of Barrio 18 was broken. Since then, nearly 85,000 people have been imprisoned in deplorable conditions, without the right to a legal defense, and nearly 400 of them have died without trial, many with signs of torture.

Charli was captured on April 21, 2022 25 days after the start of the state of emergency. But after just a few minutes, he was not only released but even “escorted to his home,” all due to “higher orders.” During Bukele’s administration, at least one other gang leader has been illegally released: Elmer Canales Rivera, aka Crook, one of the top MS-13 leaders worldwide.

Charli and another Barrio 18 gang leader assert that their rapprochement with Bukele’s circle began in 2014, when the current president decided to run for mayor of San Salvador.

The gang members claim that, through an intemidiary, Bukele would warn them about police operations targeting their neighborhoods, and he also brought projects to their communities to curry favor with them. In return, gang members had to threaten opposition activists in their neighborhoods, as well as force their families and neighbors to vote for Bukele.