Thread: Cops find 7 suspects, weapons in SUV stop

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Cops find 7 suspects, weapons in SUV stop
Wednesday, April 12, 2006

By SONI SANGHA
STAFF WRITER


TENAFLY -- Police are investigating why an SUV full of alleged gang members and weapons was in the borough early Saturday morning.

Police said seven men from Virginia were driving past police headquarters on Riveredge Road at 1:50 a.m. when Officer Alex Cardillo stopped them.

A taillight on their gray Honda Passport was broken, and a temporary Virginia plate was hanging by one fastener, according to Capt. James Foxen.

The registration and temporary tags had expired and were altered with a magic marker, Foxen said.

Initially, officers found a bullet in the back seat of the Honda, reports said. Foxen said police from surrounding towns were called in for backup.

As they searched the car, the officers found a kitchen knife in the glove compartment, five rounds of ammunition and a carpet knife in the hatchback, reports said.

There was a Rossi .38-caliber revolver with four live rounds and one spent cartridge under a T-shirt in the car jack compartment, according to the report.

Jose Gordillo, 18; Henry Mata, 18; Marcello Gomez, 19; Wilmer Ramirez-Mata, 18; Ricardo Amaya, 26; and driver Julio Torres, 18, were charged with possession of a handgun and knives and defacing of a firearm. One of the passengers, a juvenile, was not charged, police said.

Papers found in the car indicate the suspects had ties to the Mara Salvatrucha gang, Foxen said.

The group, known as MS-13, gained a reputation for violent acts among the law enforcement community, reports indicate.

What had originated in Los Angeles with Salvadoran immigrants, some of whom had been guerrilla fighters in their home country, spread to New Jersey about six years ago. In the Garden State, members have criminal records ranging from attempted murder to burglary and drug possession.

Foxen said the men are the subject of investigations by police agencies in Virginia, though there are no active warrants for the individuals.

The men were taken to the Bergen County Jail and were held in lieu of $16,000 bail. By press time, only Amaya and Torres had not posted bail.

E-mail: sangha@northjersey.com

The men were taken to the Bergen County Jail and were held in lieu of $16,000 bail. By press time, only Amaya and Torres had not posted bail.

This is what I don't understand; they believe these men have ties to the MS-13, they have weapons in the car & they post bail
I am sure they will show up for their court date.

The article doesn't say they are illegals - that I could find. Why bothering clutter the board with this?

Originally Posted by illegals_out_now

The article doesn't say they are illegals - that I could find. Why bothering clutter the board with this?

Because the majority of MS-13 gang members are illegal.