High-ranking MS-13 Member Arrested in North Carolina

Josue Zepeda-Padilla, a high-ranking member of the MS-13 gang, was arrested in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after evading authorities for over a year. Zepeda-Padilla was wanted for his involvement in the kidnapping and assault of a 15-year-old in New York and was charged with first-degree gang assault and second-degree kidnapping. The U.S. Marshals, along with local law enforcement and ICE, apprehended him after he attempted to escape from his hideout. Zepeda-Padilla, who had been deported previously, was in the U.S. illegally at the time of his arrest. This capture was part of a larger effort by the U.S. Marshals to target violent fugitives, and it involved multiple agencies tracking his movements across North Carolina. He is currently awaiting extradition to New York.