FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

 

JOINT TRAINING ON MS-13 IS SCHEDULED IN EL SALVADOR

Charlotte, NC--- Kevin B Kendrick, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) here, along with the Chiefs of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Durham and Raleigh Police Departments, announced the joint participation of agents and officers in 2^nd annual International Anti-Gang Conference, focusing on MS-13, in El Salvador this week.

Organized and fully funded by the FBI’s MS-13 National Gang Task Force at FBI Headquarters, one Special Agent and an officer from the three Police Departments will travel to El Salvador for a week-long conference on MS-13, hosted by the El Salvadorian National Police.   FBI Charlotte is taking the lead in combating the growing threat of gangs in North Carolina.  Other conference attendees include: law enforcement, corrections, intelligence, immigration, legal, and Interpol personnel from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Belize, Costa Rica and Chiapas, Mexico.

 “This caliber of training is unmatched in terms of the relationships that will be formed and coming away with the ‘lessons-learned’ from those countries that have been dealing with gang violence for years.  This type of training, and the information gleaned from attending the seminar, is not only unique, but invaluable towards addressing the MS-13 threat here in North Carolina,” said Kendrick.  “We are appreciative of the three Police Chiefs for their willingness to support this effort and to have the opportunity to host their Task Force members,” added Kendrick.

 This joint travel highlights the cooperative effort between the FBI and North Carolina police departments to address the growing concern of gangs, particularly MS-13.  The police chiefs are commended for their superb efforts to support this joint training, but more importantly, the tremendous effort underway in support of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Forces.  These multi-agency Task Forces combine the resources, expertise, and jurisdiction of local, state, and federal law enforcement throughout North Carolina to combat dangerous criminals, violent gangs, and criminal organizations that threaten the state’s urban and rural communities.

 In addition to the invaluable ‘hands-on’ experience of meeting with international counterparts, the conference attendees will engage and participate in an exchange of ideas, practices, policies and the identification of “best practices” on how to combat gang violence and activities. 

Jane Perlov, Chief of the Raleigh Police Department added, “This joint training opportunity exemplifies the cooperative effort that is being put forth to combat illegal gang activities, and we are pleased to be a part of it.  To be most effective, law enforcement at all levels must continually work in unison to maintain public safety and security.  Opportunities like this help make that happen,” said Perlov.  

Exemplifying this unified, international approach to addressing the MS-13 threat, in September 2005, the FBI conducted a coordinated, five-nation law enforcement effort between local, state, federal and international agencies to act against the growing MS-13 violence in the United States, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.  The effort included the participation of more than 6,400 police officers, federal agents and other officials operating in 13 states and five countries. In this simultaneous operation, authorities arrested more than 700 known and suspected gang members, executed several search warrants, and obtained valuable intelligence.  The seminar in El Salvador will review the effects of this unprecedented operation. 

 “It is due to this internationally cooperative effort, exemplified by the training and seminars like the one this week, that will continue to allow this type of unprecedented international coordination against MS-13,” Kendrick added.

 MS-13 is considered the fastest-growing, most violent and least understood of the nation’s street gangs.  MS-13 has an estimated membership of over 10,000 in the United States and their presence has been identified in 33 states, to include a growing presence in North Carolina.  This led to the creation of the National Gang Task Force, led by then Supervisory Special Agent Robert Clifford, who is now the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge here.  The MS-13 National Gang Task Force was created to coordinate investigations, intelligence, and prosecutions of the MS-13 and other transnational gangs on a national and international level.  The MS-13 National Gang Task Force provides extensive support to investigations regarding MS-13 activities, and participates with agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and other federal partners.  At the state level, the task forces comprise a joint cooperation between FBI agents and local law enforcement officers throughout the state through the FBI Safe Street Task Forces.  

 “All levels of U.S. and international law enforcement agencies are working together to form a unified, organized, and comprehensive anti-gang force to combat MS-13 and other gangs.  The sharing of intelligence is critical to this effort,” added Clifford.

 Additionally, due to a significant number of MS-13 gang members residing in Central America and Mexico, liaison with these countries continues to be crucial to the success of the task force.  U.S. investigators continue to exchange information---such as gang member’s movements and associates---with their counterparts in Central America.  FBI agents working in U.S. embassies abroad serve as liaisons with the local authorities, and Salvadoran, Honduran, Guatemalan, and Mexican  advisers have come to the U.S. to share their MS-13 information and expertise.  “This amounts to a comprehensive international attack against MS-13,” said Clifford.

 Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, started in Los Angeles in the 1980s by Salvadorans fleeing a civil war. Early on, Mexican gangs on the streets of Los Angeles preyed upon the new arrivals.  The response: band together in a mara, or “posse” composed of salvatruchas, or “street-tough Salvadorans” and the gang grew in power as it added former guerilla and paramilitary members from El Salvador with weapons training and a pension for heavy violence. 

 Composed of mostly Salvadorans, Honduran, Guatemalan, and other Central Americans, the gang has a uniquely international profile.  However, an increasing number of MS-13 gang members are US citizens . Activities of MS-13 include violent acts such as murder, robbery, assault, and extortion, and an increasing involvement in retail theft, home invasions and burglaries, and narcotics trafficking.

 

 

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