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.
"What tattoos does Nagin have?"
"I (heart) Chocolate" would be a good bet.
They call them "gangs" but truly they are mobsters.
now there's some deep LEO insight.
Police say that the New Orleans gangsters are running back and forth between Houston and New Orleans now. They aren't in Houston because of Katrina anymore.
They are here for criminal enterprise (and leaving when the heat gets too strong).
One of the military guys on Fox said it was organized gangs from out of state that was the problem with a lot of the looting. I think it was the colonel who said that.
Three cheers for L.A.
They are not spotters.
If you say so.
They are not assessing the landscape for this eventual organizational migration
Of course they're not.
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 new population will bring crime with it.
ping
Yeah, they are craftsmen alright, they are building their crime kingdom.
It is my understanding that St. Bernard Parish was, for the most part, destroyed in the flooding. Is it just territory these newly-arrived gangs are looking for? Do you have any insight on just what is attracting them?
Seriously, though, the reason they're here is probably a lot more innocuous than that. These guys are just moving with construction crews. There happens to be a lot of construction work in New Orleans right now. They may very well be peddling dope on the side or something. I can't see these guys getting arrested for anything major, just bar fights and that sort of thing. And there's been plenty of that; these guys are more likely to get into knife fights than gun fights, compared to the thugs we used to have here.
So I wouldn't look at this as any sort of gang invasion. They might eventually decide to set up shop here, but odds are pretty strong that they haven't made that decision themselves yet.
Glad to hear that these thugs may be transient. After all of the devastation, the last thing south Louisiana needs is MS 13 getting a foothold.
Good idea!
Such activity would certainly not make the news. Might scare the criminals away. But it does sound like how things are handled in St. Bernard parish. A lot of heavily armed coon assess down there. And they don't suffer killers gladly. Do you have any source for those rumors? Just curious.
A guy that works down the hall from me has relatives in Materie..also is from NOLA. He went there to help clean up his parents house as well as his in-laws, he heard this from a local law enforcement person...essentially they were dredging the Army and Nat. Gaurd's hanidwork out of the rivers.
Examples of action given: A local hotel was taken over by thugs...which was reported on local and nat news...but how the situation was resolved was not reported...that's because the military went in and killed all the perps.
Thanks for the info. I likewise heard rumors about Guard snipers dispatching looters. After which the looting stopped.
If one is willing to put 2 and 2 together, the conclusions are evident.
Works for me...
La Mara Salvatrucha is bad news.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.