Carlos Ernesto Mojica Lechuga, also known as “Old Lin“, one of the founders of the large Salvadoran criminal group Barrio 18, died in prison from cirrhosis of the liver and other health problems, the General Directorate of Prisons of El Salvador announced.
“Carlos Ernesto Mojica Lechuga, also known as “Old Lin“, one of the founders and leading figures of Barrio 18 in El Salvador, died on Wednesday evening from multiple organ failure caused by liver complications“, the department said in a statement.
According to medical reports, the prisoner suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, hepatorenal syndrome and a possible aggressive brain tumor, glioblastoma.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Mojica Lechuga led one of the most brutal criminal factions, involved in murders, rapes and the recruitment of children. In 2012, he represented the group in negotiations for a “truce“ with the government of Mauricio Funes, in which criminals were granted prison breaks in exchange for a reduction in the murder rate. The agency noted that the leader's death hastened the end of an era of gang violence in El Salvador.
The international criminal group Barrio 18 (also known as the 18th Street Gang) is considered one of the most brutal transnational criminal organizations. It originated in Los Angeles among Latin American migrants and subsequently expanded significantly in the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The main criminal activities of Barrio 18 include extortion, arms and drug trafficking, kidnapping, and contract killings. For many years, the group has waged a fierce turf war with its main rivals, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.