Mara Salvatrucha

Mara Salvatrucha is a large gang involved in criminal activities throughout the world. The gang’s name is commonly abbreviated as MS-13, Mara, MS, and is composed of mostly Salvadorans. The MS-13 gang has cliques, or factions, located throughout United States, El Salvador, and parts of Central America. In 2005, the FBI declared Mara Salvatrucha to be the most dangerous gang not only in the United States, but the entire globe.

Membership is believed to total over 50,000 in the United States alone.^[1] MS-13 criminal activities include drug smuggling and sales, black market gun sales, human trafficking, assassinations for hire, theft, and assaults on law enforcement officials.^[2] Their activities have caught the eye of the FBI, who in September 2005 initiated wide-scale raids against suspected gang members, netting 650 arrests across the country.^[3]

Former gang member Brenda Paz said that MS-13 is well structured, with multiple leaders, and that the gang’s goal was to become the top gang in the United States.^[3]

Etymology

The word mara means gang in Caliche and is taken from marabunta, the name of a fierce type of ant, the word can also imply to the notorious gangs of Maravilla based in the East Los Angeles region. “Salvatrucha” is a portmanteau of Salvadoran and trucha, a Caliche word for being alert, usually entailing preparedness for crime or abuse from police. Mara Salvatrucha is also commonly translated as Salvadoran Gang.

Organization

The gang is organized into local cliques. The FBI believes there may be some kind of hierarchy to the leadership of Mara Salvatrucha, based on evidence of meetings between multiple cliques organized to share information.^[6]

Gang markings

Many Mara Salvatrucha members cover themselves in tattoos. Common markings include “MS”, “13″, and “Salvadoran Pride”.^[7]

            

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