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Orangeburg officers arrest members of notorious MS-13 gang

(Orangeburg) March 1, 2006 - It's considered one of the fastest growing street gangs. Not the Bloods or Crypts, but MS-13.

Refugees from El Salvador started the gang in California, but investigators say it's spread to a small town in the Midlands.

MS-13 is a known threat in Los Angeles and Washington D.C., and now in Orangeburg.

Public Safety Chief Wendell Davis says, "The MS-13 gang has been identified by federal authorities as one of the most notorious gangs in the United States."

Davis says an investigation has identified Joe Guerra, Roberto Bega and five other men in Orangeburg as affiliated with MS-13.

Investigators say some lived in a local house. A neighbor, too scared to be identified, told us what she saw there, "They ride up and down the streets, they shoot guns, they get drunk and fight outside their houses."

Officers say they first learned about MS-13 in the area in January when they arrested two men for assaulting a police officer, and saw the tattoos of the notorious gang. Officers say the arrest led to five other men. All of them, who investigators say are in the US illegally from Honduras, are in custody, and will be deported.

The person who saw their activities says, "I don't want to see them around here anymore. We want them gone. We all do."

For now, they are not linked to any other crimes. And that's the idea, according to Chief Davis, "We've taken a proactive stance and decided we'd much rather address the problem in its infancy rather than allow it to fester."

But it may not be over. Orangeburg officers say MS-13 is already in Columbia, and they expect to find more Orangeburg members soon.

Reported by Jennifer Miskewicz