A man has been nabbed in Murcia for allegedly ordering a contract killing for just €3,000, after cops uncovered a chilling plot involving the feared Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, one of the world’s most violent street gangs, originating from El Salvador but with a number of cells in Spain.
Police swooped early after learning the threat was real and imminent, fearing the victim could be murdered at any moment. The hit was already mapped out — target named, plan set, price agreed.
Investigators say the suspect commissioned MS-13 operatives in Spain — a cell smashed last year — to carry out the killing on his behalf. A second person was detained during the raid but later released after questioning.
The arrest stems from intelligence gathered in a major nationwide crackdown last March, when 27 MS-13 members were rounded up across Madrid, Barcelona, Tarragona, Murcia and Alicante, with backing from US and Salvadoran authorities.
Cops discovered the gang was branching out, offering its violent services to outsiders — and this case exposed a cold-blooded murder-for-cash deal already in motion.
Fearing the worst, officers fast-tracked the operation to save the intended victim’s life and shut the plot down.
During Operation Astas, police seized documents, electronic devices and gang symbols. Forensic analysis revealed messages directly linking the suspect to MS-13 leaders, spelling out the hit — who to kill and how much to pay: €3,000.
The man has now been hauled before a judge and locked up, as Spain reels from the shockingly low price put on a human life.
