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U.S. gang trying for Canada base
MS-13 members have been blocked at the border

Peel police give status report on gangs in the region
Jun. 16, 2006. 01:00 AM
MIKE FUNSTON
STAFF REPORTER


A U.S. gang that the FBI regards as a dangerous and growing threat is trying to make inroads into Canada, a Peel Region police intelligence officer says.

MS-13, whose members originate in Central America, is an extremely well-organized and vicious criminal organization whose ruthlessness exceeds even that of notorious U.S. street gangs such as the Crips and the Bloods, Det. Anthony Melaragni said in an interview yesterday.

Gang members have been intercepted at the border and have tried to gain entry in Vancouver and Toronto, but so far the criminal organization has not established a base in Canada, Melaragni said at a Brampton conference on youth and gang violence in Peel.

The conference was made up of social service, school board and student representatives.

"In five or six years, they've overtaken the Crips and Bloods as the No. 1 gang threat. The last thing we need is MS-13 being thrown into the mix."

The FBI formed a special task force in 2004 to combat MS-13, which it estimates has 10,000 U.S. members and about 50,000 in Central America.

The gang was established in El Salvador and during a civil war there in the 1980s, it spread throughout the U.S., following a wave of immigration. The MS stands for Mara Salvatrucha, meaning street tough Salvadorians. The number 13 is associated with southern California gang culture.

The average age of gang members is about 23-24, so they are not present in the schools in significant numbers, he said.

The Crips and the Bloods are the most dominant street gangs in Greater Toronto, he said.

Gang activity is on the rise in Peel. In 2003, 39 gangs with 625 hardcore members and 200 associates were identified. In 2005, there were 85 gangs with 857 members and 430 associates, according to Peel police.

Peel Staff Sgt. Rick DeFacendis, of Peel's Neighbourhood Police Unit, gave a separate report on violence in secondary schools. But he said the perception that crime in the schools is out of control is not borne out by statistics.

From September 2005 to March 2006, there were 88 assaults reported among 71,000 students in 56 schools and 41 weapons offences, most involving knives. No guns were seized, he said.