Earlier today, a federal grand jury indicted 17 members of the MS-13 gang and their associates for widespread methamphetamine trafficking. Four other suspects remain in state custody, with two still on the run according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California news release.
The takedown resulted in the confiscation of several pounds of narcotics, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, as well as nine firearms and approximately $94,000 in cash.
Members of the gang held in incarceration were reportedly at the helm of the methamphetamine distribution operations. All earnings facilitated their operations, fundamentally centered on crime and disorder, through the duration of the indictment probe from July 2021 to August 2023.
Mara Salvatrucha, popularly known as MS-13, was established in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. The gang today boasts tens of thousands of members across at least ten U.S. states and various Central American countries. It maintains ties with the Mexican Mafia, further underscoring its association with violence and crime.
The successful operation was the result of a joint effort involving the FBI, LAPD, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Key figures in law enforcement, such as United States Attorney Martin Estrada, FBI Assistant Director Donald Alway, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore, and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, have reiterated their commitment to curbing the menace of MS-13 and similar violent gangs.
