Posted on 03/08/2006 12:06:30 PM PST by Ellesu
The FBI said members of the Mara Salva-Trucha, or the “MS 13,” one of the most terrorizing gangs in the country are in the New Orleans area and agents need law enforcement agencies to work together to help bring them down.
St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens said this tattoo was symbolic of a drive by.
Members of the Los Angeles-based gang were arrested last weekend in St. Bernard Parish and the FBI said it could simply be the beginning of something bigger.
Recognized by their MS 13 tattoos in Old English, some of the gang’s members have other, more elaborate tattoos that tell of a dark, criminal past.
“This is symbolic of a drive by,” said Jack Stephens, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff, pointing out a picture of a tattoo featuring a man riding in a car firing a gun out the window among pictures of gang-related tattoos.
These pictures, taken of the chest of an MS 13 gang member, have been used to give Parish deputies a crash course on the gang.
“We really haven't dealt with anything as organized as this,” Stevens said.
Deputies arrested 13 members of Latino gangs since Hurricane Katrina – at least four were MS 13 members.
“They are primarily Salvadorians that fled El Salvador around 1992 following the long civil war there. They wound up in the streets of L.A. and they organized themselves, really, to defend themselves against the Mexican gangs there,” Stephens said.
The gang has now spread out over 33 states it’s known for gory contract murders, drug trafficking and prostitution. James Bernazzani, FBI Special Agent in Charge, knew that Louisiana could be added to that list post- Katrina.
“MS 13 are skilled craftsman. They’re carpenters, they’re plumbers, they’re electricians; they follow the construction trade,” Bernazanni said.
St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s deputies arrested three of the gang members over the weekend on Munster. The men were charged with drug possession and possession of stolen property, as well as a felon with a weapon.
Melissa Lopez, who heads a repair/construction crew from Indiana, said she knew exactly who MS 13 was.
“Where I'm from they've done a lot of bad things; they’ve hurt a lot of people. People are scared...I don't work with people that I don't know,” she said.
What makes MS 13 so dangerous?
According to the FBI, the gang does not place the same value on life and property that law abiding citizens do.
“...And it’s what makes them the most dangerous. You can’t hardly threaten them with their lives. They’d rather die than be deported,” said Stephens.
But so far, Bernazanni cautioned that the gangs, nor their violence, have made it into the area – only individual members who follow the work.
“They are not spotters. They are not assessing the landscape for this eventual organizational migration,” Bernazanni said, and reassured that the FBI was working with all local law enforcement agencies to make certain that a new population doesn’t bring with it a new wave of crime.
The FBI advised citizens to be aware of new graffiti around town and to call authorities if they witnessed any suspicious activity.
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Good thing they had tats to ID them with. Otherwise, you'd never tell them apart from the NOPD....
Pretty elaborate use of symbolism there./s
We've had gangs before. But I don't know that we've ever had any gangs that are either this organized or this nihilistic. Pre-Katrina gangs were all neighborhood and housing project outfits, not necessarily connected to anything bigger. These guys might be a different story.
LOL!
GAH!! I just had this horrible sight in my mind's eye.... Suppose he has a gang tat on his behind....
I need a drink to get that outta my head....
Good thing they had those tattoos or they would've just been categorized as "undocumented" workers, doing the jobs that Americans won't do.
"The FBI advised citizens to be aware of new graffiti around town and to call authorities if they witnessed any suspicious activity."
that's rich! LMAO
ya wanna see some graffiti and "suspicious activity?"
tell the G-Men to come to L.A. and we'll show you a whole lota graffiti and 100K ganstas doing "suspicious activity!"
and you thought Hoover was dead..."Mafia? There's no such thing as the Mafia!"
Who the hell they got runnin' the F.B.I. these days? Mr. Magoo?
I don't think so. Hell, they still haven't caught Ted Kennedy yet.
I expect to see bumper stickers with "Union YES" and "MS 13" side by side.
"Hell, they still haven't caught Ted Kennedy yet."
They should cast a wider net.
“...And it’s what makes them the most dangerous. You can’t hardly threaten them with their lives. They’d rather die than be deported,” said Stephens.
May their wish come true!
Hey, lay off!
They're just doing the work that American criminals don't want to do. (Because they all left town with Katrina).
I wonder if they were carrying machetes?
What tattoos does Nagin have?
There's been a lot of rumor that when NOLA was no man's land after Katrina and gang violence was bad...that the National Gaurd along with the Regular Army went on search and Destroy missions within the city for gang members...no arrests, just kill the bad guys on sight.
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