WASHINGTON--The El Salvador's street gang known as Mara Salvatrucha or simply as MS-13 was labeled on Thursday, Oct. 11 as an international criminal group by Washington according to YahooNews.com
This comes in an effort to clamp down on the gangs financial dealings throughout the North and Central American regions.
The gang uses acts of violence to reinforce its human and drug trafficking operations and according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jason Shatarksy. He claims the group has "built a reputation as one of the most ruthless and sophisticated street gangs."
MS-13 members are said to have cultivated in the America in the Los Angeles where according to authorities perform ultra-violent acts sometimes in broad day light.
"They saw a level of violence that hadn't been seen before," said Shatarsky speaking on the gangs Los Angeles activities.
The gang is said to be operational in 46 states officials say and that the group maybe operating in Europe to go along with their international activities in Central America.
The United States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has labeled MS-13 a criminal outfit thus allowing sanctions to be placed on the organization. This will aid the government to paralyze the gang's funds making it hard for America based members to supply their leaders in El Salvador.
The criminal outfit was formed in Los Angeles by Salvadoran immigrants in the 1980s and is estimated to have 70,000 members worldwide. Other criminal activities include child prostitution, robbery, larceny, extortion, illegal immigration, kidnapping and racketeering.
The group is also associated with the Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas.
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