Research Of MS-13 – The World’S Most Notorious And Dangerous Gang

Los-Angeles, California. Home to Hollywood, the world’s biggest stars and most dazzling lights. El Salvador, a Central American country amidst a merciless 12 year civil war that has taken the lives of over 100, 000 individuals. Which do you think sounds more appealing to an El Salvadoran in the 1980s? Well spoiler alert, the answer is Los-Angeles. That is where thousands of El Salvadoran immigrants escaped to in the 1980s and formed what would later be described as the world’s most notorious and dangerous gang, the Mara Salvatrucha. Widely known as the MS-13. It is fair to say that this gang, that follows the motto “Kill, Steal, Rape, and Control” and is comprised of 10, 000 US members and up to 50, 000 worldwide is not the most benevolent gang and I believe my presentation will most certainly confirm that.

The initiation process of becoming a member of the MS-13 or a “homeboy” is extremely rigorous. First, the individual has to murder someone from a rival gang and then must submit to a thorough beating from all members while they slowly count to 13. The initiation process for women, whom make up about 20% of the gang members, is much different. They must sleep with all the homeboys to become a member. Most women who join the gang try to leave because the MS-13 does not treat women with reverence, rather as objects to physically, sexually and mentally abuse.

All of these MS-13 members are extremely violent and dehumanize all others, making them unfazed by all situations. It is said that members of MS-13 have shot rival gang members point bank, in the face, without blinking. The MS-13 glorifies violence above all else and that is why their preferred weapon of choice is a machete, a weapon that gives members the ability to detach limbs and make deaths as personal as possible. If that’s not spine-chilling enough, members are also covered from head to toe in tattoos, however in more recent years they have stayed away from facial tattoos to be less recognizable when committing crimes. One thing that is paramount to note is that the MS-13 is a street gang, not a drug cartel. The MS-13 does not have a presence in the international drug trafficking business, despite trying to do so in the early 2000’s. During this time, a big fish in the MS-13, Nelson Comandari endeavored establishing a drug trafficking network but failed as it was realized that MS-13 members were not great drug smugglers and did not find smuggling drugs very appealing. Instead, the MS-13 makes money through many other ways, including extortion and money laundering.

Extortion is a method the MS-13 uses to obtain money through force or threats. Money laundering is hiding where illegal money came from and putting it in to legitimate businesses. The MS-13 does this through theft and auto resale, shell companies such as hotels, parking lots, bars and restaurants, investing in property, and loan sharking, where money is lent at interest rates as high as 30% as well as money transfers which are advantageous because large sums of money can be moved at once. They are also in the human trafficking business where MS-13 members recruit young and vulnerable Central American girls where the only cost to the MS-13 is to buy drugs and alcohol to keep the girls subdued. The MS-13 is a street gang whose bad side you do not want to get on.

I found it extremely captivating to learn all about the MS-13. I wanted to know more about this gang because I’ve heard a lot of negative things about the gang over the past year whether it was from the news or Donald Trump and I was curious to see what the big deal was. What astonished me the most about the MS-13 was that they are not a drug cartel. I believed they did a lot more than just small scale drug selling on the streets. Through my research I was dumbfounded to discover how ferocious the MS-13 actually is and how little regard its members have for human life. Also the development of the gang is truly astounding. What started out as a gang for Salvadoran immigrants to help protect each other from L. A. ’s already established gangs has now turned in to an international powerhouse, spanning 42 states and having a presence in 6 continents. The MS-13 continues to find more and more at risk Latin American kids and I believe the demise of the MS-13 won’t be coming anytime soon.