103 Alleged Honduran Gang Members Arrested (in the US)

[Rose Siding]

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 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.
...
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.
...
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.''

http://nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Gang-Arrests.html

[SpiralHawk]

1. Hmmm? How does Negroponte figure in here

Black Point, the former Dark Lord Ambassador to Honduras, is now the Uber Kapitan of US Intelligence (Torture and Assasination)

[jayfish]

2. Can't It Be Good...

enough that they caught these guys without making the al-Qaida connection?

Sheese!

Jay

[ET Awful]

3. They tried to make a connection between these guys and Al Qaida

already a few months back. If I recall, they were alleging that this gang was helping smuggle Al Qaida members across the border.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050105-101619-7688r.htm

[Tempest]

4. Blowback courtesy of Reagan

Many of the leaders of the gangs in Central America are ex-members from Reagan's rightwing militias and death squads.

The L.A. Times had an in-depth analysis of this a couple of months ago.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Didn't know that! I'd heard of the gangs, without that information.

I assumed they were teenaged gangs. This is VERY interesting now.

[Tempest]

6. The gang members are teens

The leaders are in their 40s and 50s, many still have government and military connections.

Most of the drug trade out of Central America has government assistance through the gang leaders.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Whoa! I can see there's a LOT more to learn about this.

Looks like an entirely different situation from what I've been envisioning: buncha kids.

After what U.S. (Reagan) trained and supported Honduran military did to their OWN countrymen and women and childen and old people, they'd be holy murder on complete strangers!