Alleged MS-13 Leader Added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List

Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias, aka Alexander Mendoza and “Porky,” is wanted on racketeering, gun, and drug charges

The alleged leader of the violent MS-13 transnational criminal organization for all of Honduras has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Effective February 8, 2023, the United States government is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias.

Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias, also known as Alexander Mendoza and “Porky,” has been charged in the Southern District of New York with racketeering conspiracy, possession of machine guns, and cocaine importation conspiracy. “He’s wanted for, among other crimes, facilitating the transportation of multi-ton loads of cocaine through Honduras into the United States, as well as possession and conspiracy to possess machine guns that were used by gang members to support international drug trafficking,” said Supervisory Special Agent Nick Durgin.

Archaga Carias is also allegedly responsible for ordering and participating in the murder of several rival gang members and others associated with MS-13. In August 2018, a Honduran tribunal convicted Archaga Carias of conspiracy and other charges and sentenced him to a lengthy prison sentence. He violently escaped from Honduran custody in February 2020 when approximately 20 armed gunmen in police and military uniforms stormed a courthouse where Archaga Carias was scheduled for a hearing. Multiple Honduran police officers were killed during the escape. Archaga Carias is believed to still be in Honduras.

Screenshot of top portion of Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias' FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives poster.

Select image to view wanted poster and additional information.

The case against Archaga Carias is being investigated by Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), which was created in 2019 to eliminate MS-13. It brings together the law enforcement agencies of the United States Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to provide a whole-of-government approach to combating MS-13.

“This is a joint effort,” said Durgin, who supports JTFV for the FBI. “When we work together with our partners, we can see the crossover and better address the threat.” He notes that in the absence of the task force, each individual agency may hold some piece of investigative information but may not have enough to successfully bring charges and prosecute. “Working together allows law enforcement to gain a more complete picture and go after the organization in a more holistic way,” he said.

Durgin said that MS-13 poses an ongoing threat in Central America, the United States, and elsewhere. “MS-13 is an international criminal organization whose business model is extreme violence. Capturing this individual would send a clear message to MS-13 that their violent activity and narcotics trafficking will not be tolerated.”

Archaga Carias is 39 years old and has brown eyes and black hair, which he sometimes wears shaved close to his head. He is 5 feet 5 inches tall and 160 pounds. Investigators believe he only speaks Spanish.

Anyone in the United States or elsewhere with information on his whereabouts should call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. You can also submit a tip online to tips.fbi.gov. Tips can be submitted anonymously.