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Alleged Gang Member Caught In Loudoun
Dan Telvock



Aug 25, 2006 -- An alleged MS-13 gang member convicted of murder who escaped from a prison in El Salvador was captured in Loudoun County in July.

Loudoun Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kraig Troxell explained that the authorities didn’t release details of the capture because they weren’t positive the person was Juan Elias Rodriguez-Luna. Confirmation that the person was Rodriguez-Luna came Wednesday, he said.

“He was under a false name,” Troxell said. “We believed it was this guy.”

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Loudoun Sheriff’s Gang Intelligence Unit investigated the case. Luna escaped from the Ciudad Barrios Prison in El Salvador in August 2005. He was serving time for homicide and is an alleged MS-13 gang member, Troxell said.

Troxell said the gang intelligence unit gained information that Rodriguez-Luna was hiding in Loudoun County. On July 27, deputies and ICE agents located who they believed was Rodriguez-Luna in a vehicle on Rt. 7 in the Ashburn area. He was detained on immigration charges, Troxell said.

"This arrest is an excellent example of how we used all of our tools in a unified approach to ensure that our country is not a safe haven for fugitive criminals from around the world,” said Mark McGraw, special agent-in-charge of the Office of Investigations in Washington, in a prepared statement. "We will continue working with our law enforcement partners here and abroad to identify and arrest those criminals seeking to evade justice by attempting to hide in the United States. Our message is clear: you will be found and arrested."

Troxell said that investigators believe Rodriguez-Luna was staying at various residences in the Northern Virginia area for the past four months. He is currently in federal custody awaiting deportation and fugitive hearings.