By Zoila Palma: Carlos Mojica, a founder and longtime leader of the violent Central American gang Barrio 18, has died in El Salvador from liver complications, the government confirmed on Thursday.
He was widely known by the alias “El Viejo Lin,” or Old Man Lin.
Mojica had been held in a maximum-security prison since 2003, where he was serving a sentence for ordering dozens of murders and facing additional criminal accusations. Authorities stated that despite his incarceration, he continued to exert influence over gang activities from behind bars.
Mojica was deported to El Salvador from the United States in the 1990s, where he had been involved in early gang formations that later evolved into Barrio 18, Reuters report.
During his imprisonment, he was also linked to efforts that helped facilitate a 2012 truce between Barrio 18 and its rival MS-13, an agreement that temporarily reduced homicide rates in the country.
In recent years, Mojica’s health had deteriorated significantly.
He was diagnosed in 2024 with kidney and liver complications, along with a suspected brain tumor.
The post International News: Barrio 18 founder Carlos Mojica dies in El Salvador prison appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Carlos Mojica, a founder and longtime leader of the violent Central American gang Barrio 18, has died in El Salvador from liver complications, the government confirmed on Thursday. He was widely known by the alias “El Viejo Lin,” or Old Man Lin. Mojica had been held in a maximum-security prison since 2003,
The post International News: Barrio 18 founder Carlos Mojica dies in El Salvador prison appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
