Wanted international gang member arrested during traffic stop in Berkeley County

BERKELEY COUNTY, SC (WCSC) – Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said a man wanted for murder in El Salvador was arrested during a traffic stop over the weekend.

According to prison records, 31-year-old Elmer Neftali Martinez-Escobar is charged with simple possession of marijuana.

An officer was patrolling the area of ​​Highways 52 and 402 when he noticed a vehicle with a broken tail light and conducted a traffic stop.

When the deputy made contact with Martinez-Escobar, who was behind the wheel, a strong odor of marijuana was coming from the window. Martinez-Escobar told the deputy that he did indeed have a few grams of marijuana in the car, said sheriff’s office spokeswoman Cpl. Carli Drayton.

During a search of the vehicle’s interior, around eight grams of marijuana were found.

The officer then checked Martinez-Escobar’s name in a crime database and found that he was a fugitive from El Salvador wanted for murder and that he had ties to transnational organized crime.

Officials discovered that Martinez-Escobar was a member of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as MS-13, Drayton said.

“This traffic stop is a great example of how our officers use their training to identify offenders,” Lewis said in a statement. “We never know what a traffic stop will bring, but I trust our officers will continue to work hard to keep Berkeley County safe.”

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Department of Justice at the request of the FBI and confirmed that he was a wanted illegal immigrant.

Martinez-Escobar was taken to the Hill-Finklea Detention Center and will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

All rights reserved.