Crime & Justice

New York Prosecutors Say MS-13 Leadership ‘Decimated’ After Almost 100 Arrests

GOT ‘EM

Among those taken into custody in Suffolk County were nine leaders of MS-13 factions.

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Authorities announced charges against 96 MS-13 gang members and associates on Friday in a wide-ranging indictment that hit gang leadership and drug suppliers in Long Island, the Associated Press reports. Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini told reporters the case was the largest of its kind in New York and left gang leadership “decimated.” Among those taken into custody were the leaders of nine MS-13 factions called “cliques,” and officials were able to stop six murder plots. Through the help of a wiretap that monitored calls from over 200 phone numbers, officials were also able to get information about the gang's recruiting system and organizational structure. Long Island gang members were reportedly doing business with fellow members and associates in Europe and Oklahoma, selling drugs, and sending money to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador. In addition, officials seized over 10 kilograms of cocaine, hundreds of fentanyl pills, drug ledgers, guns, and over $200,00 in cash. The gang has been blamed for dozens of killings in New York, and is considered to be a top organized crime threat in the U.S.

Read it at Associated Press

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