US targets Mara Salvatrucha criminal gang

The U.S. government on Thursday added to its sanctions list Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal organization that operates in the United States and Latin America. The Department of Treasury moved against the criminal gang as Washington unveiled in July 2011 a national strategy to combat transnational organized crime, with the focus on attacking the economic power of transnational criminal organizations and shutting them from the international and American financial systems. Mara Salvatrucha, known as MS-13, originated in Los Angeles and has spread to other parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. The Treasury called the group "one of the most dangerous and rapidly expanding criminal gangs in the world today," with at least 30,000 members in a number of foreign countries. The gang is "extremely active" within the United States, with at least 8,000 members operating in more than 40 states and the District of Columbia, the agency noted. "MS-13 is being targeted for its involvement in serious transnational criminal activities, including drug trafficking, kidnapping, human smuggling, sex trafficking, murder, assassinations, racketeering, blackmail, extortion and immigration offenses," the Treasury said in a statement, adding "MS-13's criminal nature can be seen in one of its mottos, 'Mata, roba, viola, controla' ('Kill, steal, rape, control')." "MS-13 is an extremely violent and dangerous gang responsible for a multitude of crimes that directly threaten the welfare and security of U.S. citizens, as well as countries throughout Central America," David Cohen, under secretary of Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, was quoted as saying. "This action positions us to target the associates and financial networks supporting MS-13, and gives law enforcement an additional tool in its efforts to disrupt MS-13's activities," he added. Washington has targeted Italy's Camorra, Mexico's Los Zetas, Yakuza of Japan and Brother's Circle, a gang based in former Soviet Union areas, since July 2011. The latest move against MS-13 bars American citizens from doing business with it and freezes all of its assets under U.S. jurisdiction.