The Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. - A dangerous gang that the FBI has labeled as a top priority has shown up in the Triangle area, where authorities already have made arrests.
Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, is what Newsweek magazine described as “The Most Dangerous Gang in America.” The FBI formed a task force to target MS-13 and dismantling the gang has become a top priority.
Three dozen confirmed MS-13 members have been arrested in North Carolina and will be deported. Almost all of the confirmed gang members were arrested in the Triangle area, said Tom O’Connell, resident agent-in-charge of the Cary office of the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Raleigh police linked the gang to Jan. 9 shooting deaths of two men in downtown Raleigh. Two of the four men arrested and charged with murder for the shooting are members of MS-13.
“We have made contact with MS-13 gang members,” said Lt. A.C. Davis, who supervises the Raleigh Police Department’s six-member gang unit.
Chanda Brown Mwicigi, 26, was killed at the Palm Park Apartments in Durham on Aug. 29, according to Durham County Assistant District Attorney Kendra Montgomery-Blinn. The woman’s assailant then dragged her body onto the sidewalk in front of the complex and continued to stab her, cutting her a total of 41 times. The symbol “MS” was carved into her thigh before he stomped on her head, Montgomery-Blinn said.
Police charged Franklin Mancer-Herrera of Honduras with the crime.
Federal officials and gang investigators believe MS-13 members from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador may be entering the United States because of laws targeting gang members in those countries.
Police say MS-13 uses drug sales for income and Detective Tim Jolly of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s criminal intelligence department said MS-13 may be responsible for 18 killings in the city since 2000.
In Virginia, legislators added machetes to a list of weapons that cannot be concealed since a trademark of the MS-13 gang members is to hack victims with a machete and slice their fingers off.
Triangle police said they don’t want to add to the notoriety of the gang, so they demur from confirming how serious of a problem it is in the area.
O’Connell said MS-13 members often are deported after being picked up for traffic infractions or minor crimes and sometimes their families are deported.
“We’re hoping to send a message to other MS-13 members that their conduct and behavior aren’t welcome here,” O’Connell said.