Mara Salvatrucha MS 13

Mara Salvatrucha (commonly abbreviated as MS, Mara, and MS-13) is a criminal gang that originated in
Los Angeles and has spread to Central America, other parts of the United States, and Mexico.The
majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Central Americans an active in urban and suburban areas.

Members of MS distinguish themselves by tattoos covering the body and also often the face as well as
the use of an own sign language. They are notorious for their use of violence and a subcultural moral
code that predominantly consists of merciless revenge and cruel retributions.

This excessive cruelty of the distinguished members of the "Maras" or "Mareros", earned them a path to
be recruited by the criminal organization of Sinaloa, Joaquin Guzman, to be trained in handling weapons
and counter the force from the Gulf Organization (Los Zetas), a war that rages south of the United States
Border.

History

The Mara Salvatrucha gang originated in Los Angeles, set up in the 1980s by Salvadoran immigrants in
the city's Pico-Union neighborhood who immigrated to the United States after the Central American civil
wars of the 1980s.There is some dispute about the etymology of the name. The most common belief is
that Mara refers to the word for gang in Spanish slang; it is suggested that Salvatrucha refers to the
Salvadoran guerrillas, the source of much of the gang's early manpower.

Originally, the gang's main purpose was to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other, more established
gangs of Los Angeles, who were predominantly composed of Mexicans and African-Americans.

Many Mara Salvatrucha gang members from the Los Angeles area have been deported after being
arrested. As a result of these deportations, members of MS have recruited more members in their home
countries. The Los Angeles Times contends that deportation policies have contributed to the size and
influence of the gang both in the United States and in Central America.

In recent years the gang has expanded into the Washington, D.C. area, in particular the areas of Langley
Park and Takoma Park near the Washington border have become centers of MS gang activity.
Publicized crimes

On July 13, 2003, Brenda Paz, a 17-year-old female, former MS member turned informant was found
stabbed on the banks of the Shenandoah River in Virginia. Paz was killed for informing the FBI about
Mara Salvatrucha criminal activities. Two of her former friends were later convicted of the murder.

In 2004, the FBI created the MS National Gang Task Force. In 2005, the FBI helped create a National
Gang Information Center and outlined a National Gang Strategy for Congress.

On December 23, 2004, one of the most widely publicized MS crimes in Central America occurred in
Chamelecón, Honduras when an intercity bus was intercepted and sprayed with automatic gunfire,
killing 28 civilian passengers, most of whom were women and children. MS organized the massacre as a
protest against the Honduran government for proposing a restoration of the death penalty in Honduras.
Six gunmen raked the bus with gunfire. As passengers screamed and ducked, another gunman climbed
aboard and methodically executed passengers. In February 2007, Juan Carlos Miranda Bueso and Darwin
Alexis Ramírez were found guilty of several crimes including murder and attempted murder. Ebert
Anibal Rivera was held over the attack and was arrested after having fled to Texas.Juan Bautista Jimenez,
accused of masterminding the massacre, was killed in prison. According to the authorities, fellow MS-13
inmates hanged him.[15] There was insufficient evidence to convict Óscar Fernando Mendoza and
Wilson Geovany Gómez.

An MS suspect bearing gang tattoos is handcuffed.On May 13, 2006, Ernesto "Smokey" Miranda, an ex-
high ranking soldier and one of the founders of Mara Salvatrucha, was murdered at his home in El
Salvador a few hours after declining to attend a party for a gang member who had just been released
from prison. He had begun studying law and working to keep children out of gangs.

On June 4, 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, police executed 22 search warrants, made 17 arrests and laid 63
charges following a five-month investigation.

On June 22, 2008, in San Francisco, California, a 21-year old MS gang member, Edwin Ramos, shot and
killed a father, Anthony Bologna, 48, and his two sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, after their car
briefly blocked Ramos from completing a left turn down a narrow street as they were returning home
from a family barbecue.
On November 26, 2008, Jonathan Retana was convicted of the murder of Miguel Angel Deras, which the
authorities linked to an MS initiation.

In 2008, the MS task force coordinated a series of arrests and crackdowns in the U.S. and Central
America that involved more than 6,000 police officers in five countries. Seventy-three suspects were
arrested in the U.S.; in all, more than 650 were taken into custody.

In February 2009, authorities in Colorado and California arrested 20 members of MS and seized 10
pounds of methamphetamine, 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds) of cocaine, a small amount of heroin, 12
firearms and $3,300 in cash.

In June 2009, Edwin Ortiz, Jose Gomez Amaya and Alexander Aguilar were MS gang members from Long
Island who had mistaken bystanders for rival gang members. As a result, two innocent civilians were
shot. Edgar Villalobos, a laborer was killed.

Illegal immigration and human smuggling

According to The Washington Times, MS "is thought to have established a major smuggling center" in
Mexico.There were reports by the Minuteman Project that MS members were ordered to Arizona to
target U.S. Border Patrol agents and Minuteman Project volunteers.

In 2005, Honduran Security Minister Oscar Alvarez and the President of El Salvador raised alarm by
claiming that Muslim terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda was meeting with Mara salvatrucha and other
Central American gangs to help them infiltrate the United States. FBI agents said that the U.S.
intelligence community and governments of several Central American countries found there is no basis
to believe that MS is connected to Al-Qaeda or other Islamic radicals, although Oscar did visit Central
America to discuss the issue.

Robert Morales, a prosecutor for Guatemala, indicated to The Globe and Mail that some Central
American gang members seek refugee status in Canada. Superintendent of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police integrated gang task force, John Robin, said in an interview that "I think [gang members] have a
feeling that police here won't treat them in the harsh manner they get down there." Robin noted that
Canadian authorities "want to avoid ending up like the U.S., which is dealing with the problem of Central
American gangsterson a much bigger scale". On the southern border of Mexico, the gang has unleashed
violence against migrants.

Etymology

There are various possible explanations for the name Mara Salvatrucha. Some sources state the gang is
named for La Mara, a street in San Salvador, and the Salvatrucha guerrillas who fought in the Salvadoran
Civil War. Additionally, the word mara means gang in Caliche and is taken from marabunta, the name of
a fierce type of ant. "Salvatrucha" may be a combination of the words Salvadoran and trucha, a Caliche
word for being alert.

An MS gang sign and tattoos.Gang markings and hand signs Many Mara Salvatrucha members cover
themselves in tattoos. Common markings include "MS", "Salvatrucha", the "Devil Horns", the name of
their clique, and other symbols. A December 2007 CNN internet news article stated that the gang was
moving away from the tattoos in an attempt to commit crimes without being noticed.

Members of Mara Salvatrucha, like members of most modern American gangs, utilize a system of hand
signs for purposes of identification and communication. One of the most commonly displayed is the
"devil's head" which forms an 'M' when displayed upside down. This hand sign is similar to the same
symbol commonly seen displayed by heavy metal musicians and their fans. Founders of Mara
Salvatrucha borrowed the hand sign after attending concerts of heavy metal bands.