The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the arrest of Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, an alleged member of the MS-13 gang known as “Fantasma,” in Grand Island, Nebraska on December 8, 2025.
According to DHS, Cuadra Soto is a Honduran national wanted in his home country for a quadruple homicide and is believed to be part of an assassination squad. After being charged with firearms offenses related to the killings in Honduras in 2022, he reportedly bribed his way out of jail before entering the United States illegally that same year by crossing the southern border. DHS stated that he later obtained a California driver’s license.
The arrest was carried out through cooperation between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other law enforcement agencies.
“Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, AKA ‘Fantasma,’ might think he’s a ghost, but our heroic law enforcement found this hideous MS-13 murderer from Honduras hiding out in Nebraska. This sick monster was wanted for four homicides and involved in an assassination squad in Honduras. He bribed his way out of a prison in Honduras and thought he could hide in American communities. Think again,” said Assistant Secretary McLaughlin.“Now thanks to our brave law enforcement, this cold-blooded killer is off our streets. President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow MS-13 gang members to terrorize American citizens.”
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating MS-13 as a terrorist organization.
DHS stated that under Secretary Noem’s direction, its law enforcement efforts are focused on apprehending and removing high-priority criminal illegal aliens and terrorists from the country.
