MS-13 Member Fugitive Extradited To Face Charges Of Murdering Long Island 15-Year-Old

An alleged MS-13 street gang member charged with his role in the brutal murder of a 15-year-old boy on Long Island after being extradited from El Salvador and transported back to the United States.

An MS-13 gang member on Long Island was extradited from El Salvador for his role in an alleged brutal murder.
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Zak Failla

11/09/2020 12:00 p.m.

Eduardo Portillo, also known as “Firuli” and “Tito,” a fugitive from justice who formerly lived in Brentwood and Central Islip, was arrested in El Salvador in February last year and has been detained before being extradited back to New York over the weekend.

“Bringing Mr. Portillo back to the U.S. to face justice for the heinous murder of a 15-year-old is a big step toward healing a family and community terrorized by MS-13,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said. “We have made incredible inroads with members of that community, building relationships, and trust which are vital to keeping the violence at bay.”

Portillo is being charged in an 89-count indictment along with nearly two dozen other MS-13 gang members. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

It is alleged that Portillo was among a group of MS-13 gang members who murdered Javier Castillo in 2016, who they believed to be a member of the rival 18th Street gang on Long Island.

Acting U.S. Attorney Seth DuCharme said that on Oct. 10, 2016, Portillo and other Brentwood-based members of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of MS-13 convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to go with them to Freeport to smoke marijuana.

Castillo was lured to an isolated marsh area along the water in Cow Meadow Park, where they attacked and killed him, taking turns hacking him with a machete. Afterwards, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which wasn’t recovered until a year later.

“Today’s extradition of defendant Portillo demonstrates the resolve of law enforcement to bring to justice all gang members who commit violent crimes in our district no matter where in the world they may run and try to hide,” DuCharme said in a statement. “I hope the extradition of the defendant and his prosecution in a U.S. court will bring some measure of closure to the family of the young victim.”

If convicted, Portillo, 23, faces life in prison. No return court date has been announced.

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