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Article published Jan 26, 2006
Violent gang, MS-13, making name known
Marion County officials learn details about mafia group.

BY JOE CALLAHAN
SENIOR THE STAR-BANNER

TALLAHASSEE - Marion sheriff's Maj. Terry Bovaird is concerned about the emergence of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, as it is known, considered by some to be one of the world's most violent gangs.

As the head of the county's Terrorist Intelligence Unit, Bovaird and several investigators are looking into possible connections to Marion County.

"Right now we have found no MS-13 connection to the county, but we're just now looking into it," said Bovaird, who went to the 2006 Legislative Cargo Security Summit with the sole purpose of learning more about the group.

The group is a part of a Central American mafia that smuggles drugs, humans and guns by trains, planes and vehicles from El Salvador through Mexico into the United States.

MS-13 has been tied to many crimes in the U.S., including murders, carjackings and extortions. The gang has spread throughout the world, especially through North and South America.

Department of Homeland Security officials warned U.S. Border Patrol agents in December that they were on the gangs. The gang has reached 10,000 members in 31 states around the country.

Border Patrol agents gave a two-hour presentation about MS-13, which have vowed to kill law enforcement officials if they get in their way.

"They are a violent group, but their main goal is to make money," said Scott Webster, a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Texas. "They are extremely violent and will kill their own. They are know to swarm together and attack."

Some of the information presented during Tuesday's summit was for law enforcement intelligence only and the release of that information to the public could jeopardize numerous nationwide investigations.

The program focused on intelligence that federal agents have gathered over the last several years, including elaborate tattoos that give a history of their movement in the gang.

The tattoos show the area where they joined the gang, mother's maiden name and often a city's initials and area code. The full name of the group is often tattooed on their stomach.

The gang formed in the 1980s in Los Angeles by many refugees from El Salvador who fled during that country's civil war. The gang quickly spread through Central America when many of the gang members were deported back to El Salvador.

Verne Eastwood, supervisor of Miami's U.S. Border Patrol Sector Intelligence Unit, said he believes everyone in Florida should be concerned about MS-13.

He said Florida is a ripe environment for the gang.

"We will see a nexus to Florida because the state is a target-rich environment," he said. "They do smuggle people into the United States by plane. They are a national security concern."

And with fewer countries, which had been connected to funding terrorism, financially backing groups to help with terrorist missions around the world, agents wonder where will they get funding.

"They have to fund their organization and cargo theft would be one way to do that," said Bovaird, adding they hope to prevent MS-13 from becoming a local threat.

In Miami-Dade County, a cargo theft task force called the TOM-CATS have been investigating a string of thefts of construction material.

They linked the thefts to a MS-13 gang member.

"And we learned he is wanted for three murders in Honduras," said Sgt. Richard Mestre, an agent who has been investigating the links between cargo theft and MS-13 recently.

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Joe Callahan may be reached at joe.callahan@starbanner,com or at (352) 867-4113.