A late Suffolk police detective credited with taking down dozens of MS-13 gang members while battling cancer was honored by U.S. Attorney General William Barr Tuesday.

Det. William Maldonado was recognized for the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service in Policing along with 19 other men and woman across the U.S.

Barr credited Maldonado with successfully managing intelligence from numerous sources and coordinating with local police departments during an MS-13 killing spree.

Maldonado lost his battle with cancer in 2018, but Barr says not before all the victims' remains were recovered - and the perpetrators brought to justice. He is the first person to receive the Attorney General's award posthumously.

The killings, including the 2016 deaths of two teenage girls in Brentwood, helped spark an aggressive effort by both the FBI and the Justice Department to dismantle the gang.