Suspected Gang Members Kept in Custody After Roundup

MS 13 in court_01Police arrested over a dozen people suspected of gang activity last week during a roundup. The suspects appeared Tuesday in federal court and were ordered to remain in jail by U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler.

The charges against the defendants, who are suspected MS-13 gang members, include drugs, racketeering, attempted murder, and robbery. 37 people suspected of being members of the gang were accused in a federal indictment of operating a Charlotte criminal enterprise since at least 2009.

Three defendants are facing charges for murder connected to Charlotte murders from 2013 and 2014. The defendants are: Christian “Pitbull” Pena, 19, and Miguel “Most Wanted” Zelaya, 19, both from Charlotte, and Luis “Big Boy” Ordonez, 36, from Concord. If convicted, each could be facing the death penalty.

During the federal roundup, about 16 of the defendants had already been held in state custody. There are still five at large.

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