Thread: Violent MS-13 gang already operating in B.C., say police

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columb ... 3:c0.79394


Violent MS-13 gang already operating in B.C., say police
Last Updated: Friday, June 6, 2008 | 2:24 PM ET
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Police in British Columbia are concerned about the presence in the
province of what's being called the most dangerous gang in North
America.

On Wednesday, Toronto police arrested 17 people who they say are
suspected members of Mara Salvatrucha- 13 — also known as MS-13 — a
gang with roots in El Salvador that operates throughout Central
America, southern Mexico and the United States.

But Sgt. Shinder Kirk, with B.C.'s Integrated Gang Task Force, said
there's at least one member of MS-13 already operating in the
province, which is enough to warrant scrutiny.

"We are taking steps to get out ahead of these groups — particularly
this group — not only by having one of our investigators go down to
Central America and liaise with law enforcement down there," said
Kirk on Thursday.

MS-13 has already branched out across Canada, which is why the gang
task force is so focused on stunting its growth, said Kirk.

"We also had a gang conference up here and we had investigators from
[Central America] come here and talk to us about their experiences
down there," said Kirk.

The gang with a reputation for extreme violence has an estimated
30,000 members across the U.S. and Central America. It's alleged to
have been established by former members of El Salvadoran death
squads, who immigrated to Los Angeles in the 1980s.

They have been in the Toronto area for some time now. Toronto Police have also spoken with gang units in South Florida about that problem. In Toronto the Asian gangs were a big problem for a long time.