A prominent figure in the notorious MS-13 gang, believed to have led a deadly strike team, was apprehended in Nebraska on Monday. This individual is reportedly connected to the murder of the son of a former Honduran president, according to officials.

Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, also known by the alias “Fantasma,” was captured in Grand Island, about 150 miles from Omaha, on immigration-related allegations, the FBI announced on Tuesday.

Cuadra is suspected of leading “El Combo,” a specialized MS-13 unit tasked with executing targeted killings for the gang. Authorities in Honduras have charged him with involvement in four murders.

The authorities believe his involvement extends to the assassination of Said Lobo Bonilla in July 2022. Bonilla, the son of ex-Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa, along with three others, was gunned down as they exited a nightclub in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.

Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, 33, often referred to as “Fantasma,” was detained near Omaha on charges related to immigration. Officials have identified Soto as an influential MS-13 leader with significant connections to other prominent figures within the gang. (Hall County Department of Corrections; Getty Images)

Cuadra fled Honduras following the quadruple murder. He and two co-defendants were released from jail after government officials were paid $125,000 in bribes, federal prosecutors said, according to an unsealed affidavit.  

Authorities allege that Cuadra entered the United States in November by crossing from Mexico into Texas and later obtained a California driver’s license.

Honduran authorities identified Cuadra as a close associate of Yulan Archaga Carias, known as “Porky,” who is listed on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted fugitives list. Carias is believed to be MS-13’s leader in Honduras and a voting member of the gang’s leadership group, “La Mesa.”

The violent street gang MS-13 has made its presence felt in small towns and suburbs. (Fox News)

He is charged by the Justice Department with racketeering conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of and conspiracy to possess machine guns.

Despite Cuadra’s arrest on immigration charges, the FBI’s Houston office, which led the investigation that resulted in his arrest, continues to investigate him for his alleged role as an MS-13 leader. 

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at dismantling drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and to protect communities from violent crime.

Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security for more information, but did not immediately receive a response.

In February, President Donald Trump designated several groups — mostly drug cartels, including MS-13 — as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, expanding the government’s ability to crack down on criminal groups operating in the U.S.