Ms 13 documentary. "Salvadoran ants": the most terrible gang in the world. Tests for women

To date, Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13 is one of the most dangerous gangs in several countries at once, El Salvador, the USA, Honduras and Guatemala have chosen the main territories of their activities for MS-13. Mara Salvatrucha is especially cruel, and its number exceeds 80 thousand people, 10-15 of which operate in the United States. Drug and arms trafficking, violence, murder, pimping, robbery, money laundering - perhaps there is no such criminal business in which Mara Salvatrucha would not take an active part.

In his speech to Congress, Donald Trump spoke about the Salvadoran criminal group MS-13, whose members commit terrible crimes in the United States, and called for an end to this. In particular, they are one of the reasons for tightening immigration.

History of appearance

The history of the appearance of the gang originates in the early 80s in Los Angeles, when migrants from El Salvador first appeared in the American territories, who were fleeing the civil war in their native country. Before the arrival of the Salvadorans, other Latin American gangs already existed in the American territories, which began to oppress the newly minted immigrants. To resist harassment, migrants from El Salvador organized their own group, calling it Mara Salvatrucha, which is translated from Latin American street slang as "a brigade of Salvadoran wandering ants."

After ten years of the existence of Mara Salvatrucha, the police and immigration services of the States began the mass deportation of Salvadorans to their homeland, as a result of which the gang began to expand and develop already in the Salvadoran territories. In the USA, the structure of MS-13 is undoubtedly very developed, but the main backbone is located precisely in El Salvador. The hierarchy of Mara Salvatrucha is not too multi-stage, the main body of the gang is the Council of Nine, located in El Salvador, and MS-13 groups, which are called "click", are scattered across several countries of the world. Therefore, it is almost impossible to completely destroy the gang.

gang structure

Everywhere there is a massive recruitment of new members of the gang, and the age of the newly minted "ants" can start from 8-9 years. Members of Mara Salvatrucha recruit people near schools, children's correctional facilities, low-income areas.

To become a member of the Mara Salvatrucha, one must go through an initiation rite, the so-called "jump in" (jump in). During the initiation ceremony, members of the group severely beat the applicant for 13 seconds. After that, those who want to join the ranks of the "ants" need to prove their willingness to work for the gang, for this it is enough to commit some kind of crime. Violence, robbery or murder - the nature of the crime does not matter.

Women can also become gang members. To do this, they do not have to go through the rite of "jump inside", but you can simply satisfy 15 gang members. Surprisingly, among the weaker sex there are many who want to join Mara Salvatrucha. This is due to the fact that members of the gang have considerable weight in disadvantaged areas, the "ants" are shrouded in a halo of gangster gloss, and the patronage of the gang can be perceived by many as a kind of protection and the illusion of security.

Criminal activity

Mara Salvatrucha activities cover almost all milestones underworld. A distinctive feature of the gang is the special cruelty with which crimes are committed. The group's motto is "Mata, Viola, Controla" - translated from Spanish as "Kill, Rape, Subdue", and the "ants" follow it steadily.

The main source of income is the drug trade and smuggling out of Mexico. Murder and violence can be committed by "ants" simply to prove their power and intimidate others. One of Mara Salvatrucha's favorite weapons is the machete. Gang members do not shy away from methods such as chopping off the fingers, limbs or genitals of their enemies.

One of the worst crimes against Mara Salvatrucha is betrayal, which is immediately punishable by death. 17-year-old pregnant Brenda Baz was killed by her boyfriend, having learned that the girl wants to end her criminal past, and for this she is ready to cooperate with the FBI.

For the "ants" there is no pity and morality, their crimes are simply monstrous in their cruelty, and are incomparable with the activities of any other gang in the world. In 2010, Mara Salvatrucha member René Mejia was sentenced to death for the murder of a young woman and her two-year-old baby. And in 2002, in Boston, there was a sensational case of the rape of two teenage girls with handicapped members of the Mara Salvatrucha. One victim suffered from cerebral palsy and moved in a wheelchair, and her friend suffered from deafness. The reason for this atrocity was that earlier the father of one and the girls committed a rash act and quarreled with the mafia MS-13.

Features of "ants"

Members of Mara Salvatrucha do not hide their belonging to the gang at all. Some are even openly proud of it and advertise their position. "Ants" can be identified by specific symbolism in clothing, white and blue checked shirts and, of course, multiple tattoos, which are a distinctive feature of MS-13. The longer a person is in Mara Salvatrucha, the more tattoos he has. These are not just pointless drawings. The bodies of the bandits are covered with the abbreviations "MS", phone codes, showing the territorial affiliation of a member of the group, as well as ornaments inherent in the culture of the Maya and the Aztecs.

Mara Salvatrucha also has its own secret language. Communication among the members of the group takes place in the dead language of the Aztecs, which is far from familiar to all ordinary residents. The "ants" also have their own own slang, where the word "bless", for example, means "kill", and the phrase "direct to the green light" indicates a contract killing.

Authorities and Mara Salvatrucha

Mara Salvatrucha completely subjugated her native country. The gang controls entire districts and cities, the government has virtually no power over members of MS-13, the "ants" operate in El Salvador brutally and uncontrollably.

In Honduras, the situation is radical. The son of President Maduro died at the hands of members of the Mara Salvatrucha, so the local authorities are extremely tough on the Salvadoran "ants". Often, especially dangerous members of the group are shot on the streets without waiting for a court decision. Even the presence of tattoos and symbols of Mara Salvatrucha in clothes can serve as a reason for arrest.

In the United States, they try to control the activities of the gang in every possible way. In addition to local law enforcement agencies, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Weapons and Explosives Control are also involved.

Mara Salvatrucha is by far the most dangerous and powerful gang in the United States. The authorities will have to make simply colossal efforts in order to minimize the criminal actions of members of MS-13. Eliminating Mara Salvatrucha completely is a task that so far looks like something out of the realm of fantasy, despite the firm convictions of US President Donald Trump, who promised to put an end to the crime syndicate. As Trump tweeted:

“The weakness of the immigration policy of the Barack Obama administration has allowed bad MS-13 gangs to spread to cities across the United States. We will quickly destroy them!”.

Trump is trying to fulfill his promises by tightening migration policies and mass deportation of Salvadorans. The president also talks about how the Mara Salvatrucha gang is far worse than al-Qaeda.

Mara Salvatrucha, also commonly known as , is considered the most violent gang in the world. Mara Salvatrucha slang for "Salvadoran wandering ants".

This is a well-organized multinational international criminal group; one of the most brutal Central American gangs, which is now actively operating on the territory of 6 countries (50 thousand bandits in America - Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador).

MS 13 is the most violent gang, and in the United States the number of its members is from 10 to 30 thousand people. When killing members gangs sometimes they cut off the heads or genitals of their victims and feed them to dogs.

A distinctive feature of the members - all over the body.

MS 13 always controls a certain city area. She is engaged in almost all kinds, ranging from theft, and ending with trade. Street stalls typically pay half of the gang's income. MS 13 earns the most money by working as an intermediary in the sale of drugs and receiving tribute for the right to sell drugs on its territory from other gangs.

Initiation into gang members is called "jump inside" - these are indiscriminate massive blows that gang members inflict on those who wish to join their ranks for at least 13 seconds, hence the number 13 in the gang name. There is a silent language of communication with gestures "Layout". U has its own system of justice: "control court".

MS 13 originated in Los Angeles among immigrants from Latin America. The gang facilitates illegal border crossings as it controls many secret US-Mexico border trails.

They immigrate and transport weapons and drugs through them. One of the most famous actions is the massacre on the bus (28 people were killed).

According to the FBI, MS 13 collaborated with "" and for several years supplied different kinds small arms.

Arrests of members of the most brutal gang in the world MS 13

In September 2005, more than 650 gang members were arrested during a large-scale special operation, which was carried out simultaneously in the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The raid, which lasted two days, involved more than 6,400 law enforcement officers from five countries.

The largest arrests were made in El Salvador (237), Honduras (162), Guatemala (98) and Mexico (90). In 13 US states, 73 people were arrested, and half of them ended up behind bars on suspicion of violating immigration laws. At the same time, 31 people were detained in California alone.

In this review, we will tell you about the most cruel and numerous gang in the USA.

980s. Ecuador is in flames of civil war. 300 thousand Ecuadorian refugees poured into the USA, Los Angeles. Like the Triad and Cosa Nostra, MS-13 emerged as a defensive response to local oppression. True, yesterday's immigrants - Negro gangs and Latinos themselves ran into Ecuadorians more than whites. With one of them, the 18th Street Gang, MS-13 leads bloody war and today.

The name MS-13 itself stands for "Mara Salvatrucha" and means "Salvadoran wandering ants." There is still debate about the number 13, whether it is 13th Street in Los Angeles, which became the cradle of the gang, or the position of the letter M in the Latin alphabet, showing their connection with the Mexican drug cartels, or M - “Mara”, although the first version seems much more logical to me.

An interesting fact: the main ally of MS-13 is the Sinaloa cartel - the oldest and largest drug cartel in the world.

To date, there are more than 50 thousand MS-13 fighters in the United States, and around the world the number jumps from 100 to 300 thousand, turning it into one of the most influential groups on the planet.

Interesting fact: MS-13 usually recruits children 8-10 years old. By the age of 18, they are already hardened criminals with rich criminal experience. Recruitment takes place right on the sports fields and in schools. Refusing to be killed.

There are 2 main rituals when joining a gang. The first is called “jump inside” - several members of the group brutally beat the recruit for 13 seconds. After the “jump”, the future gangster is taught the basic rules: recruit and kill. All for the gang's profit. A year or two later, the time for the second ritual comes. The boy is taken to the territory of a strange gang and given a gun in his hands, he must commit his first murder, fill up another bandit. After that, the kid is taken into business and he becomes a full member of the gang.

MS-13 has a very interesting structure. In fact, the entire army of many thousands is divided into separate autonomous detachments - “cliques”, which control their own territory without going beyond it. The cabal has its own arsenal, including M-16s, AKs, grenades, and machine guns. Each clique has a leader - a representative, he travels to meetings with other representatives and resolves strategic issues. Representatives of the Los Angeles cliques are the most authoritative, like the founding fathers. But as such, the vertical of power with one boss has not yet been discovered, if there is one, then such a structure perfectly hides any information about him. More details below.

The power of "roaming ants" extends to 6 countries, in the USA they control 33 of the 50 states. The gang is taking territory for a reason - all the businesses on their street pay tribute, from the hot dog vendor on the Avenue of Stars in Hollywood to the drug dealer in the ghetto. The “protection tax” is usually 50% of the daily income, and if the hot dog seller gives them $100-200 a day, then the huckster pays a couple of thousand dollars for the right to trade on their territory. To maintain order and pacify those who refuse to pay, these Latinos often arrange demonstration executions - they cut off heads, hands, cut off genitals.

Initially, the group was not so cruel and powerful. To become such, ironically, they were helped by the US authorities. As soon as the organized criminal group began to grow, the authorities decided to fight them with a cardinal method - mass deportation to their homeland, to El Salvador. Thus, the Americans, unknowingly, helped the "ants" to cross the border, to establish business in their homeland. The fact is that in El Salvador they began to recruit people with military experience who know how to handle heavy weapons. After that, the level of violence in MS-13 increased significantly. Then the cutting off of body parts began. It gets to the point that gang members often plant severed heads in front of the police station to intimidate them. Today, MS-13 controls all illegal routes across the border of El Salvador, drug trafficking, prostitution, kidnapping, arms trafficking.

Some of the hallmarks of MS-13 are graffiti and tattoos. They mark their streets, put gang tags or clique tags to let competitors know - you walk in here and you take a bullet. Also, graffiti is often dedicated to recently killed gang members. MS-13 graffiti can be found from Spain to Alaska.

Tattoos, on the other hand, sometimes cover the entire body of a bandit, unlike the same Yakuza, which beats tattoos exactly along the line of clothing, MS-13s are often beaten even on the face to show everyone around who they are. The most common tattoo on the face - "tear under the eye", means murder.

MS-13 developed their own sign language, which they called "Layout". For example, stroking the belly indicates that pistols will be used, while shaking from the shoulder means knives.

An interesting fact: the main sign of the gang is a “goat” made of fingers, resembling the letter “M”. This sign was chosen in the 80s x the founders of MS-13, who were big fans of heavy metal at the time. Today, the members of the gang have a Spanish-speaking rapper who plays in your columns in honor. Did you press play?

The group's influence extends beyond the streets. According to the FBI, several thousand gang members serve in armed forces USA, where they receive military education and recruit new soldiers. Prisons are a separate item. For a member of MS-13, prison - university, where they learn concepts, is a completely normal stage in the life of every bandit. There are 24,500 prisoners in El Salvador, and about half of them are members of MS-13. There are prisons where 100% of the prisoners are in a gang. From there, the watchers direct the activities of the gang.

In 2003, a girl named Brenda Pas, a former gang member, began rattling off the FBI, revealing a lot about the MS-13 device. She also shared that, allegedly, there is one boss over all the cliques under the nickname “Rooster”, which is dissonant for the Russian ear. Brenda was brutally murdered by her former friends when they invited her to go fishing. The girl was pregnant, she was 17 years old.

It is impossible to get out of MS-13. Everyone who joins it as a child remains a member of the gang until death.

Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, considered the most dangerous gang in the world. Formed in the 80s in Los Angeles, mostly from Salvadoran immigrants who fled the civil war, the gang took as its motto: mata, viola, controla - "murder, violence, control".

The gang operates both in the United States and in Central and South America.

2. 50 thousand people and 42 states

According to the FBI, there are now about 50,000 gang members. MS-13 operates in 42 states of America.

3 They Made El Salvador One Of The Bloodiest States In The World

Violence is what MS-13 is. There is another gang in El Salvador - the 18th Street Gang or Barrio 18. The showdown between these two groups turned the country into a bloody battle.

Some people think that the US has a high level of violence. But the homicide rate in El Salvador is 22 times higher than the American rate.

4. Human trafficking

MS-13 makes money different ways including drug and human trafficking. They recruit young migrant girls or simply kidnap women from Central America, forcing them to work as prostitutes.

5. The ritual of initiation is cruel

To become a member of MS-13, you first need to kill someone from a rival gang. The MS-13 will then vote on whether or not to allow you to join them. If their answer is yes, then you will have to endure a brutal beating while the gang members slowly count to 13.

6. Deportation

When a wave of violence from the gang swept the United States, about 20 thousand members of MS-13 were deported. Of course, they continued their activities in their homeland, so the total number of gang members in the world did not change. Many later returned to the States again.

7. Month of murders

10. They will return if you denounce them.

This, of course, goes without saying, but it is not a sin to remind. So on July 13, 2003, not far from Washington near the river, gangsters from Mara Salvatrucha killed 17-year-old pregnant Brenda Paz. They learned that she, as a member of the gang, became an FBI informant and participated in the witness protection program.

11. Women in the gang

Women don't get beat up to join a gang, they have to sleep with whoever they're told to. After that, women are often involved in the sale of drugs, as they cause less suspicion. There is evidence that almost 20% of the gang members are girls.

12. Tattoos

Members of MS-13 originally covered themselves in tattoos almost from head to toe. According to the tattoos, it was possible to "read" information about a person. Now many members of Mara Salvatrucha refuse tattoos for a very pragmatic reason - it is more difficult to identify, remember and detect them.

13. Gesture "goat"

Of course, not everyone who makes the famous “goat” gesture among rockers is a member of the MS-13 gang. But this gesture was used by street gangs in El Salvador at the beginning of the civil war in the country, and Mara Salvatrucha also adopted it.

13 facts about the most violent gang in the world - MS-13 updated: March 30, 2019 by: Alina Dykhman

MOSCOW, September 17 - RIA Novosti, David Narmania. Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, is considered one of the most violent and dangerous criminal groups in the world. She was not able to achieve such large incomes as other crime syndicates. Nevertheless bad reputation her outrages spread throughout most of the American continent. After all, the main thing that gang members strive for is to instill fear in everyone who gets in their way.

Now this group operates in 42 states in the United States and in several states of Latin America. According to various sources, it consists of 70 to 100 thousand people. The main source of income for them is the drug trade, which comes from Mexico.

© AP Photo / Luis Romero

© AP Photo / Luis Romero

The gang is famous for its cruelty - the favorite (but far from the only) weapon of the members of the group is the machete. Some of the dead have their heads or genitals cut off, which are then fed to dogs. On the bodies of many victims, 13 stab wounds are found - a trademark of the bandits and a message to anyone who dares to interfere with Mara Salvatrucha. The number 13 is a reference to the group "Los Emes" or "The Ms", where "M" - the 13th letter of most Latin alphabets - means "Mara" - a gang. The name Mara Salvatrucha can be translated from slang as "Gang of Salvadorian wandering ants".

In addition to murder and drug dealing, the gang is involved in human trafficking, pimping, and racketeering. One of the most notorious crimes of members of MS-13 was the rape in 2002 in a Boston suburb of two teenage girls with disabilities. One of them was in a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy, and her friend was deaf. The anger of the gang was caused by the fact that a few days earlier the father of one of the girls entered into a squabble with the mafiosi.

In 2010, René Mejia, a member of the Mar Salvatrucha, was sentenced to death for the murder of a woman and her two-year-old daughter.

© AP Photo / Antonio Romero


© AP Photo / Antonio Romero

MS-13 is especially harsh on informants in its ranks. "If you rat, you die," says one of the rules of the group. This rule works without any exceptions. Brenda Baz, who was trying to get out of a criminal past and reported information to the FBI, was killed by her boyfriend, despite the fact that she was pregnant by him.

© AP Photo / Luis Romero


© AP Photo / Luis Romero

The brutality of the gang is manifested in everything. Even the rite of passage consists in the fact that those who wish to join are beaten by other members of the group for 13 seconds. After that, he must fulfill his first assignment: to fight, rob or kill someone. They enter Mara Salvatrucha early - sometimes eight-year-old children get into the ranks of the gang.

MS-13 does not have a single leader and a clear structure - these are disparate cells united under one "brand". The motto of the gang members from Spanish can be translated as "Kill. Rape. Manage."

© AP Photo / Ginnette Riquelme


© AP Photo / Ginnette Riquelme

Members of the Mara Salvatrucha do not try to hide their affiliation to the gang - they are easily recognizable by tattoos in the form of symbols of the syndicate. The group's trademark is also a white-and-blue checkered shirt.

At the origins of the gang were refugees from El Salvador who were forced to leave their homeland, torn apart civil war. This war lasted from 1979 to 1992. Many inhabitants of the country, especially those who belonged to the ranks partisan detachments with leftist ideology, were forced to leave, fleeing the persecution of anti-communist "death squadrons".

Refugees could not afford legal and well-paid work. In crime at that time, other ethnic groups already dominated. But none of them had what the people who stood at the origins of the Mara Salvatrucha had - they did not see a real war. What the founders of MS-13 experienced in their homeland allowed them to kill people in absolutely cold blood and with extreme brutality.