Arizona Border Patrol arrests Salvadoran tied to gang

Originally published March 6, 2018 at 11:17 pm


TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The Border Patrol says its agents have arrested a Salvadoran man suspected of belonging to a violent, high-profile gang.

The agency said Tuesday that three agents patrolling a remote mountain west of Tucson came upon the 23-year-old Sunday evening.

He was later identified as Gerson Sanchez-Benitez, who was deported in 2017 for crimes in Virginia. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say his biometrics indicated he had belonged to the MS-13 street gang, also known as the Mara Salvatrucha.

The international criminal group originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s and later spread to other parts of the U.S., Mexico and especially Central America as members were deported from the U.S. for committing felonies. Most members are of Central American origin, principally from El Salvador.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-...-tied-to-gang/