[3] The fifth phase of the Territorial Control Plan entailed establishing circles around communities, especially large cities, in order to block the means of escape of gang members and capture them.

[8] On 1 August 2023, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele wrote on Twitter that the government had mobilized 7,000 soldiers of the Armed Forces of El Salvador (FAES) and 1,000 police officers of the PNC to surround the department of Cabañas and capture gang members.

[12] At around midnight, a team of soldiers and police officers patrolling near the Güiscoyol hill in Sensuntepeque and close to border of Chalatenango were involved in a gunfight with a group of alleged gang members which resulted in the death of a high ranking local gangster.

[16] The army tweeted about the capture of a MS-13 member in the Quesera canton of Ilobasco who had previously been deported from the United States in 2019 after an attempted murder.

[18] La Prensa Gráfica reported that 18 suspected gang members, including 2 minors and 3 women, had been detained at the police station in Sensuntepeque.

[20] On 8 August, government sources indicated that the blockade had led to the capture of 52 suspected gang members along with 21 firearms, a grenade and an improvised weapon.

[21] Later, the Director General of the PNC stated that 54 gang members had been captured, including 16 local leaders who were responsible for coordinating criminal activities inside the department.

[24] On 9 August, Chicas held a meeting with senior officers of the PNC and the Salvadoran Armed Forces to review the situation in Cabañas.

[27] On 7 September, the government claimed that 211 gang members (77 in Ilobasco, 38 in Sensuntepeque, 9 in Guacotecti, 15 in San Isidro, 14 in Victoria, 6 in Dolores, 13 in Tejutepeque, 3 in Jutiapa and 36 from other departments) had been captured in the operation.

Arriaza Chicas further claimed that the government had seized 12 phones and $760 in cash, along with 37 firearms and 56 vehicles allegedly used by gang members.

[32] [33] The blockade was supported by many residents of Cabañas, while survivors of the Salvadoran Civil War living in the Santa Marta area were unhappy with the heavy deployment of military forces.

[34] The Salvadoran organization Foro Nacional de la Salud (FNS) criticized the actions of the government, saying that the blockade could lead to anxiety within the local population and restricted their rights, while clarifying that they were not against capturing gang members but could not support any extreme measures.