MS-13 linked to al Queada

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Pay attention to this. MS-13 is an extremely violent South American gang. They are located in every major Latino population center and rival the ALKQN for supremacy in some areas. We had a fire incident in a Morris County town where the tagged to Chief's gig while it was at the scene of a second alarm fire.

Eastie gang linked to al-Qaeda
By Michele McPhee
Wednesday, January 5, 2005

A burgeoning East Boston-based street gang made up of alleged rapists and machete-wielding robbers has been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network, prompting Boston police to ``turn up the heat'' on its members, the Herald has learned.

MS-13, which stands for La Mara Salvatrucha, is an extremely violent organization with roots in El Salvador, and boasts more than 100 ``hardcore members'' in East Boston who are suspected of brutal machete attacks, rapes and home invasions. There are hundreds more MS-13 gangsters in towns along the North Shore, said Boston police Sgt. Detective Joseph Fiandaca, who has investigated the gang since it began tagging buildings in Maverick Square in 1995.

In recent months, intelligence officials in Washington have warned national law enforcement agencies that al-Qaeda terrorists have been spotted with members of MS-13 in El Salvador, prompting concerns the gang may be smuggling Islamic fundamentalist terrorists into the country. Law enforcement officials have long believed that MS-13 controls alien smuggling routes along Mexico.

The warning is being taken seriously in East Boston, where Raed Hijazi, an al-Qaeda operative charged with training the suicide bombers in the attack on the USS Cole, lived and worked, prosecutors have charged.

Also, the commercial jets that hurtled into the World Trade Center towers in New York City were hijacked from Logan International Airport.

``The terrorist aspect, especially when you think in terms of 9/11 and how intent these terrorists are, will turn the heat up on our efforts with MS-13,'' Fiandaca said.

MS-13 members congregate near the Maverick Square train station sporting white and blue bandannas, their skin inked with spider webs and ``laugh now, cry later'' clown faces.

``MS-13 is the most dangerous gang in the area,'' Fiandaca said. ``They are big. They are mobile. Now they have a terrorist connection.''

The theory that Salvadoran criminals manage to smuggle people over the border was bolstered this month when two Boston men described as MS-13 leaders were spotted on the North Shore days before Christmas - a year after they were deported by Boston Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators for gang-related crimes.

One of the two men, Elmer ``Tiger'' Tejada, 24, who had been deported after being convicted of a slew of crimes, including attempted murder charges for hurling a machete at Chelsea cops, was busted in Lynn on New Year's Day. Tejada is described as ``an original MS-13 member'' from East Boston, sources said.

A manhunt has been launched for the second fugitive, who is in the country illegally, Boston police said.

The growing number of MS-13 members, and the degree of violence the gang engages in, prompted investigators from 14 local and national agencies to form the North Shore Gang Intelligence task force in 2000, Fiandaca said.

Among the most notorious local crimes attributed to MS-13 was the gang rape of two deaf girls, one 14, the other 17, in a Somerville park in 2002. Three MS-13 gang members were charged in the brutal rapes, during which one victim was knocked from her wheelchair before the assault.

[kentbwj]

Now that is really scary and something I had not heard until reading your post. I guess it's a good thing we know about the threat, though. At least, law enforcement can take action and hopefully, prevent more violence.

[SPFDRum]

George, could you be mistaken? Maybe we just don't understand their culture and this is normal behavior...
Yea, right.
Thanks for the heads-up.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by SPFDRum
George, could you be mistaken? Maybe we just don't understand their culture and this is normal behavior...
Yea, right.
Thanks for the heads-up.

The problem is that I do understand this culture. Scary.

[CaptainGonzo]

Would anyone try to guess how many are legal immigrants?

I think it's time for the FBI, CIA, DHS and INS to open up a supersized can of whoop-ass on MS-13. If they smuggled Al Qaeda operatives, then they can join them in the cozy confines of Gitmo!

[FlyingKiwi]

Gee George.

Is it possible they might use drug money to pay for stuff? :rolleyes:

[PFD109NFD107]

Originally posted by CaptainGonzo

I think it's time for the FBI, CIA, DHS and INS to open up a supersized can of whoop-ass on MS-13. If they smuggled Al Qaeda operatives, then they can join them in the cozy confines of Gitmo!


I concur without a doubt!!!

[NJFFSA16]

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government on Monday announced the arrests
of 103 alleged members of MS-13, a street gang rooted in Central
America where members have been known to behead enemies and attack
with grenades and machetes.
The largest number of suspects came from the New York
metropolitan area, including almost two dozen from Long Island,
officials said.
The arrests, in seven cities since early January, are the first
of a nationwide crackdown on Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, which is
one of the largest and most violent street gangs in the United
States.
Federal officials estimate between 8,000 and 10,000 MS-13
members live in 31 states - the majority of them in the country
illegally. There have been machete attacks in U.S. cities along the
East Coast.
Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement used information from state and local law enforcement
authorities to target MS-13 activities. Forty of the arrests were
in New York City area, including 20 in Suffolk County, on Long
Island, and 10 in Newark. Others occurred in the Washington, Los
Angeles, Baltimore, Miami and Dallas metropolitan areas.
Half of the suspects charged in the sting, nicknamed "Operation
Community Shield," have prior arrests or convictions for violent
crimes, including murder, sodomy, assault and arson. All of them
can be deported for violating immigration laws, said Homeland
Security Assistant Secretary Michael J. Garcia.
"Our goal is simple: Operation Community Shield aims to
dismantle the MS-13 criminal gang by removing gang members from the
streets and from the community," said Garcia, director of ICE.
In Los Angeles on Sunday, agents arrested a man suspected of
being a founding member and leader of the MS-13 cell in Hollywood
who has previous robbery and weapons convictions. Last week,
authorities also arrested the purported leader of the MS-13 cell in
Long Branch, N.J., who had previous arson, weapons and grand
larceny charges.
In Miami, where local officials arrested four more MS-13
suspects over the weekend, police set up surveillance operations to
photograph or otherwise identify the gang members to check whether
they are in the country illegally.
"We hit these areas where we know they are," said Miami-Dade
Police Department Division Chief Willie B. Marshall. "Every single
one that we've seen so far have some type of criminal background."
MS-13 began in El Salvador and now includes members from
Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
Last month, former Homeland Security Deputy Secretary James Loy
called MS-13 an emerging threat to the United States, referring to
the gang and the al-Qaida terrorist organization in the same breath
in testimony to Congress. Garcia said Monday that while there is no
definitive link between MS-13 and al-Qaida, the gang's operations
show that "you have to accept that as a homeland security risk as
well."
---
On the Net:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Law enforcement officials are fighting a tough
war against an estimated 12,000 gang members with influence in all
corners of the state, New Jersey's attorney general said Monday.
"There is a gang culture developing in New Jersey and we are
trying very hard to stop it through prosecutions and through
education," said Peter Harvey in remarks at a subcommittee hearing
at the annual meeting of the National Association of Attorneys
General here.
According to Harvey and New Jersey State Police, there are about
17 different gangs with more than 100 members statewide, and 13
gangs have members in more than 10 municipalities. Nearly 20
percent of all homicides in New Jersey are gang-related, Harvey
said.
It is wrong to think that gangs are only found in the state's
urban centers, he noted. Just last week, 12 suspected members of a
southern New Jersey drug cartel were arrested in Pleasantville,
N.J., a working class town five miles west of Atlantic City, home
to many casino workers.
Harvey, who chairs the AG association's Gang Violence
Subcommittee, said the state is combatting the problem by involving
prison officials, police, teachers, doctors and parents as a
unified force.
The "Cops and Docs" program, for example, brings doctors who
treat gang members in emergency rooms to schools to discuss what
they've seen.
"We show what gang life is like - it's a violent life, a life
of jail, a life of permanent injury or death," Harvey said.
The "Gangs, Guns and Drugs" program features a 20-minute video
shown in schools that depicts the harsh side of gangs, including
graphic photos of dead bodies, and interviews with law enforcement
officials and gang members. Another program teaches parents and
educators how to recognize gang graffiti, symbols and colors.
Harvey said gang violence and participation will not decrease
without help from all segments of the community, including
corporations.
"Let's face it - kids 14 to 19 are not going to go and work at
McDonald's when they can make much more money selling drugs on the
street corner," Harvey said. "We have to encourage the corporate
community to give these kids opportunities so they can shadow
executives and learn about a new world they don't even know
exists."
Last week, FBI Director Robert Mueller told a House subcommittee
that federal officials are determined to help states fight gang
violence with several national initiatives, including the
establishment of a new gang intelligence center at FBI
headquarters.
One of the new federal initiatives involves focusing in on the
gang known as Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, one of the largest and
most violent street gangs in the United States. The gang is rooted
in Central America, where members have been known to behead enemies
and attack with grenades and machetes.
Ten members of MS-13 arrested in Newark were among 103 members
arrested in cities nationwide in recent weeks, federal authorities
said Monday. Last week, authorities also arrested the purported
leader of the MS-13 cell in Long Branch, N.J., who had previous
arson, weapons and grand larceny charges.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[sbfdco1]

www.newsday.com. Front page news here on LI. So far there has been 15 arrests in Nassau county and 15 in Suffolk!

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

"Let's face it - kids 14 to 19 are not going to go and work at
McDonald's when they can make much more money selling drugs on the
street corner," Harvey said. "We have to encourage the corporate
community to give these kids opportunities so they can shadow
executives and learn about a new world they don't even know
exists."

This is another stupid, liberal, NJ idea. I'll bet that Fortune 500 companies would be lining up to have gang bangers roaming the halls. Especially in light of their apparentl affiliaiton with al-Queda.

[captstanm1]

I agree with Gonzo.....Whoop A**

[ThNozzleman]

"'Our goal is simple: Operation Community Shield aims to dismantle the MS-13 criminal gang by removing gang members from the streets and the community'"
Simple? Isn't that what they said about the Crips and the Bloods twenty years ago?

[CaptainGonzo]

If the law enforcement community were allowed to do their jobs instead of being hampered by those who care more for the rights of the criminals, this could be accomplished.

[scfire86]

Originally posted by GeorgeWendtCFI


The problem is that I do understand this culture. Scary.

I never ceased to be amazed Cliff's delusions. By what standard does he understand this culture? Makes a statement with not one one shred of substantiation. And we're supposed to believe it out of hand.

He then goes on to make his usual liberal bashing comment.

The amount of white male paranoia on these boards never ceases to amaze me either. I'm more scared of the terrorists that are homegrown than any of these folks.

But keep up the good thoughts. Noz hit the nail on the head. The Bloods and Crips are stronger than ever. And the lack of law enforcement has nothing to do with it.

[captstanm1]

If the law enforcement community were allowed to do their jobs instead of being hampered by those who care more for the rights of the criminals, this could be accomplished. Amen Brother!!!

[scfire86]

Originally posted by captstanm1
Amen Brother!!!

You really believe that? The definition of a liberal is a conservative whose just been arrested. Just ask Rush Limbaugh.

Here's another quote. "Those who don't learn from the past are condemned to repeat it." As it relates to the Crips and Bloods, that is the case. They have become the modern day equivalent of bootleggers. They are capitalists filling a market demand.

[CaptainGonzo]

Originally posted by scfire86


You really believe that? The definition of a liberal is a conservative whose just been arrested. Just ask Rush Limbaugh.

Here's another quote. "Those who don't learn from the past are condemned to repeat it." As it relates to the Crips and Bloods, that is the case. They have become the modern day equivalent of bootleggers. They are capitalists filling a market demand.

They are hardly "capitalists"... just a bunch of lowlife street thugs with no future (their choice, by the way..how many gangbangers live to a ripe old age? Most die of "acute and rapid onset lead poisoning", despite the number of gun laws enacted by the liberals).

Okay... then let's use the RICO laws to prosecute them and put them in prison... it worked for the Mafia. While the Mafia still exists, it is nowhere as strong organized as it was in it's heyday. Of course, going into "neighborhoods of color" where the Crips, Bloods MS13 and other gangs reside will bring out a great deal of wailing, a gnashing of teeth and the cries of racism and bigotry.

[scfire86]

Originally posted by CaptainGonzo


They are hardly "capitalists"... just a bunch of lowlife street thugs with no future (their choice, by the way..how many gangbangers live to a ripe old age? Most die of "acute and rapid onset lead poisoning", despite the number of gun laws enacted by the liberals).

Okay... then let's use the RICO laws to prosecute them and put them in prison... it worked for the Mafia. While the Mafia still exists, it is nowhere as strong organized as it was in it's heyday. Of course, going into "neighborhoods of color" where the Crips, Bloods MS13 and other gangs reside will bring out a great deal of wailing, a gnashing of teeth and the cries of racism and bigotry.

The same was said about Capone during Prohibition. Use the RICO laws. As long as the demand exists, someone will be there to fill the void.

The rest of your diatripe is so predictable as to be laughable. I guess you believe we should abrogate the Constitution. This a momentous occasion when someone espousing law and order advocates excusing law enforcement from basic Constitutional rights. Guilty until proven innocent? I'm glad to live in a country whose legal system is just the opposite.

[CaptainGonzo]

Originally posted by scfire86


The same was said about Capone during Prohibition. Use the RICO laws. As long as the demand exists, someone will be there to fill the void.

The rest of your diatripe is so predictable as to be laughable. I guess you believe we should abrogate the Constitution. This a momentous occasion when someone espousing law and order advocates excusing law enforcement from basic Constitutional rights. Guilty until proven innocent? I'm glad to live in a country whose legal system is just the opposite.

Okay, SC... Liberals love to say that everyone is doing things wrong... so what is your solution to the problem?

PS: RICO laws did not exist in the roaring 20's. They actually got Capone on tax evasion, and he died from a STD while incarcerated.

[Steamer]

I seem to remember the county prosecutor working with the US Attorney's Office in Columbus, Ohio successfully dismantled several gangs in the Columbus area several years ago using RICO. They had a real problem, and it doesn't seem to be nearly as bad.

Where these groups seem to scoff about state time, they don't see federal time as anywhere near the picnic.

[stm4710]

What needs to happen in Mass. is Flynn needs to stop playing games and let the MSP do thier job with the proper funding and disband these grant whore,service duplicating law enforcement councils.

Or so I hear.:rolleyes:

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Everyone who yaps about using RICO laws has no idea what is involved in a RICO investigation. It takes years. They are also extremely complex cases that are difficult to present in court.

We don't know that a RICO investigation isn't in progress. It seems to me that being able to hook these people up in drugs, weapons and conspiracy charges is as good an approach. Those are the types of cases that breed RICO cases.

[CaptainGonzo]

Originally posted by GeorgeWendtCFI
Everyone who yaps about using RICO laws has no idea what is involved in a RICO investigation. It takes years. They are also extremely complex cases that are difficult to present in court.

We don't know that a RICO investigation isn't in progress. It seems to me that being able to hook these people up in drugs, weapons and conspiracy charges is as good an approach. Those are the types of cases that breed RICO cases.

RICO is another tool in the aresnal of law enforcement, as a nozzle is to us. The difference is we get to use what we have to extinguish the problem, while our brothers on the thin blue line have to deal with people like the 9th circuit court of appeals, the ACLU and other organizations more concerned with the rights of those who break the laws instead of protecting those who obey them.

[scfire86]

Originally posted by CaptainGonzo
have to deal with people like the 9th circuit court of appeals, the ACLU

Darn Constitution!!! I hate it when the Bill of Rights gets in the way.

Gonzo, you may want to do some research about the 9th Circuit. You would be surprised who appointed the majority of that bench. Hint: It wasn't liberal presidents.

And lastly, you hit the nail on the head. Go after the drug abuse problem and drug dealers the same way bootleggers were brought down. Everyone embraces the enforcement side of the issue. But no one embraces the other side of what brought bootlegging to an end.

[ThNozzleman]

Darn Constitution!!! I hate it when the Bill of Rights gets in the way.
Yeah...especially when mob rule is so much more efficient. :p