Kash Patel spent the first month as the FBI director cracked down on some of the Trump administration’s top law enforcement priorities, including violent crime, gang activity and drug trafficking.
His early moves earned him praise from Congressional Republicans. They quickly praised Patel’s first few weeks, including efforts to quickly move certain documents that have been long requested by the House and Senate Judiciary Committee majority and share certain documents.
“Under the guidance of Attorney General Pam Bondy, the bureau works proactively every day to find violent offenders, wherever they are, wherever they are, wherever they are, and wherever they are,” Patel recalled to Fox News Digital on his first few weeks of directors.
“The success so far is credited to the brave men and women of the FBI and to the state and local law enforcement partners who are doing incredible work to carry out their mission,” he added.
Just five weeks after his confirmation as FBI director, here is Patel’s earliest and most important victory.
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The FBI agent next to the FBI logo. Photo by Getty and the AP, illustrations by Fox News Digital. (AP/Getty Images)
Top MS-13 members arrested
This week, the FBI announced the arrest of 24-year-old Salvador National Henrillos Eviretro Santos, the top US MS-13 leader.
Santos was captured in Woodbridge, Virginia, and accused of being an illegal foreigner in possession of a firearm.
Authorities told Fox News this week that Santos is one of the top three leaders of the US MS-13 gang.
Both U.S. Attorney Generals Bondi and Patel saw the arrests take place from a nearby Tactical Operations Center.
In an interview with Fox News, Bondi praised the team for carrying out “clean and safe operations” and praised FBI officials for winning “one of the worst and worst MS-13s this morning.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard can be seen in this March 5 photo shared by the U.S. Department of Justice. (US Department of Justice.)
“Most wanted” arrested for fleeing
Last week, Patel announced that since January 20, the FBI had arrested three fugitives from the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list. What he said on social media is the result of excellent leadership and hard work from the Bureau personnel.
The captured individuals include Arnold Zimenez, who was accused of murdering his wife in Burbank, Illinois in 2012. Donald Eugene Fields II was charged with child sex trafficking and child rape charges in federal and state courts, respectively. And Francisco Javier Roman Bardales, another MS-13 leader who was arrested in Mexico last week and handed over to the US, was accused of conspiracy and conspiracy of terrorists, Narco terrorism, and foreign absorption conspiracy, providing material support and resources, hiding resources, hiding conspiracy and being accused of conspiracy.
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Attorney General Pam Bondy and FBI Director Kash Patel. (Reuters)
Roman Baderless was a fugitive nearly three years before his arrest and is considered a founding member of the US MS-13 leadership structure, helping to lead the group’s illegal activities in the US, El Salvador and elsewhere for 20 years.
Patel praised the arrest in a post from X, noting that the FBI’s success was “not an accident.”
“This is what happens when you make a good cop a good cop,” he said. “This administration is giving the new FBI and Ag Bondi the resources to get the job done, and we won’t stop.”
Drug suppression
Patel’s FBI successfully attacked and arrested 22 members of a drug trafficking ring in Lubbock, Texas, believed to be tied up by a Mexico-based violent drug cartel.
The operation comes as Patel and Bondi move to crack down on drugs and drug trafficking as part of Trump’s agenda for his second White House term.
In a post on X, Patel praised the work of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, the Texas Law Enforcement Board, and the Drug Enforcement Office.
“These are businesses that mean safer streets for American families,” Patel said. “And we’re just starting out.”
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Hundreds of people protested outside the Tesla showroom on March 8, 2025. Photo: by Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/Lightrocket via Getty Images)
Tesla’s arrest
The FBI and the US Department of Justice have worked together to crack down on a wave of vandalism targeting US Tesla dealers, charging stations and individual Tesla vehicles.
Individuals have been arrested for setting fire to Tesla cars and dealers across the country, destroying charging stations and photographing sculpture graffiti on personal vehicles, including anti-trump messages.
Crime prompted federal crackdowns pursued by the leadership of the FBI and DOJ.
Most recently, authorities announced federal charges on Thursday against a 36-year-old Las Vegas resident who was accused of causing a fire to a vehicle earlier this month in a Tesla crash operation in Nevada. Video footage obtained by authorities shows Teslas being used to keep it on fire using Molotov cocktails, AR-30 rifles to fire bullets at the vehicle, and spray the word “resistance” on individual cars.
Las Vegas officials described the crime as a “targeted” attack on the Tesla facility.
“As promised, the conduct of violence and vandalism was not tolerated, and law enforcement officials today acted promptly to arrest individuals on charges, including arson,” Patel said Thursday in a press release issued with the federal complaint. “Under the leadership of the Attorney General, we will continue to pursue these investigations with full force in the law, leading to justice for those responsible for these attacks.”
Terrorist money laundering has stopped
This week, the Department of Justice announced the success of the major cryptocurrency funding scheme that is thought to be used to wash money into Hamas.
Fundraising rings, which are allegedly controlled by Hamas, have been used since October 2024 to wash over $1.5 million in virtual cryptocurrency from donors, according to officials from FBI and Justice Department.
Authorities said supporters were encouraged to donate to Hamas via encrypted group chat and a complex money laundering system.
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FBI Director Kash Patel is waiting for a handover flight carrying Muhammed Sharifullah. (Doctor of Justice)
In total, the FBI seized $201,000 on cryptocurrency assets from the group. This includes another $112,000 from three exchange accounts registered in the names of Palestinians living in Türkiye and elsewhere. The key success is to help Hamas embrace cryptocurrency and cryptographic communications more and more, avoiding detection.
The US Treasury believes Hamas has been using Hamas to wash money since at least 2020, taking advantage of the decentralized, unregulated nature of digital currency.
These early victories are a signal of the bureau’s strength as they are seen as an unfair perception of weaponization or politicization, and are trying to throw away those pursuing important priorities under the Trump administration.
FBI spokesman Ben Williamson praised Patel’s performance in his work, telling Fox News Digital, “The FBI and our law enforcement partners have provided multiple important initiatives within the first month, but work is just beginning.”
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“Director Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have built a very formidable FBI team that is committed to building public trust, increasing congressional partners and transparency, and submitting promises to pursue violent criminals across every corner of the planet,” Williamson said.
“We’re just starting out.”
Anders Hagstrom, David Spunt and Jake Gibson of Fox News contributed to this report.
Breanne Deppisch is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering the Trump administration, focusing on the Department of Justice, the FBI and other national news.
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