MS-13

Origins and Early History

The Mara Salvatrucha gang emerged in the 1980s within the impoverished, refugee-laden neighbourhoods of Los Angeles, specifically in the Pico-Union, Westlake, and Rampart districts. Its founders were Salvadoran immigrants who had fled the Central American civil wars of that decade. Initially, the group consisted of young, delinquent heavy metal fans, but it quickly mutated into a gang with a primary purpose of protecting Salvadoran immigrants from more established, predominantly Mexican, Asian, and African American gangs in the area. Some of the original members adhered to Satanism, an influence still seen in some of the gang's symbolism today. The gang's transformation into a more disciplined and traditional criminal organization is attributed to Ernesto Deras, a former Salvadoran special forces soldier who gained leadership of an MS-13 clique in 1990 and applied his military training to its operations.

The gang's intense and enduring rivalry with the 18th Street Gang, another gang that initially accepted Salvadoran members, reportedly began around 1989. Most accounts trace the start of the conflict to a fight over a girl that resulted in the death of an MS-13 member, triggering a cycle of vengeance that escalated into a generalized animosity. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Salvadoran asylum seekers were routinely denied refugee status in the United States and classified as undocumented immigrants, leaving this community highly vulnerable and contributing to the conditions that allowed gangs like MS-13 to take root and grow. This neglect of asylum claims persisted until the 1991 American Baptist Churches v. Thornburgh settlement, which required the reevaluation of Salvadoran and Guatemalan claims.

Expansion and Transnational Presence

MS-13's expansion beyond Los Angeles was significantly accelerated by United States deportation policies. Following the end of the Salvadoran Civil War in 1992, large-scale deportations of ex-convicts, including MS-13 members, began. This policy transplanted the gang's culture and criminal expertise to El Salvador and other Central American nations where significant gang activity had not previously existed. In El Salvador, a weak post-war police force and a surplus of uncontrolled weapons from the conflict allowed MS-13 to establish itself with little opposition, becoming a significant arms trafficker. The gang is strongest in Central America's Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, where its activities have contributed to extreme levels of violence.

The gang operates through loosely affiliated cells known as cliques, though in El Salvador it developed a more centralized command structure called the Ranfla Nacional in the early 2000s. By 2020, MS-13 and the 18th Street gang were estimated to employ some 60,000 people between them in El Salvador, making them among the largest employers in the country. The gang has also established a presence in Mexico, Canada, and several other countries including Spain, where it operated cliques until a 2014 police crackdown. In Canada, authorities have confirmed the presence of MS-13 members, with reports dating back to at least 2008 of gang members seeking refugee status. In May 2018, Canadian federal authorities warned police services about gang members attempting to flee the United States into Canada, and arrests of alleged associates have occurred in the Greater Toronto Area on charges such as human trafficking.

Structure, Membership, and Characteristics

MS-13 membership consists primarily of Salvadorans and Salvadoran Americans, but also includes Hondurans, Guatemalans, Mexicans, and other Central and South Americans. The gang is notorious for its extreme violence and a subcultural moral code based on merciless retribution. Common weapons include machetes, which are used to inflict brutal, disfiguring injuries, setting them apart from gangs that prefer firearms. Initiation rituals often involve a 13-second beating known as "jumping-in," and at least one clique has been known to require prospective members to commit a murder to achieve full membership. Recruitment frequently targets vulnerable youth, including unaccompanied minors who have migrated from Central America, and is often forced upon children traveling to school or church in El Salvador.

Members are typically impoverished young men and teenagers, many of whom are homeless or estranged from family. They often subsist on minor drug dealing, theft, and extortion of street vendors. The gang is often public in its violence, targeting not only rival gang members but also their families, friends, and neighbours. Attacks have also been carried out against police officers, government officials, and community organizations, leading the Supreme Court of El Salvador to authorize classifying gangs as terrorist organizations. Infanticide and femicide are common in areas under the gang's influence, with El Salvador having one of the world's highest femicide rates and very low conviction rates for such crimes.

MS-13 members have historically used tattoos, including facial markings of "MS," "Salvatrucha," or devil horns, for identification, though by 2007 the gang was moving away from conspicuous face tattoos to avoid detection. They utilize a system of hand signs for communication, with common gestures mimicking devil horns. The gang's structure is largely based on local cliques that operate with a degree of autonomy, though law enforcement has reported increased coordination among cliques in major US metropolitan areas like Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York. Officials have stated the gang has ambitions to become a 'national brand' with an organization to match traditional mafia groups.

Criminal Activities and Impact

MS-13 is a predatory organization that relies primarily on extortion as a revenue source, targeting businesses, public transport operators, and residents within its territories. Other major criminal activities include drug trafficking, arms trafficking, racketeering, and assassination. The gang's violence has contributed significantly to making the Northern Triangle of Central America one of the most violent regions in the world outside of a war zone. In El Salvador, the gang has been implicated in high rates of femicide and infanticide, with legal impunity being a key factor as only a small percentage of such cases result in convictions. The gang's wide-ranging activities have drawn the focused attention of the FBI and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which have conducted large-scale raids resulting in hundreds of arrests across the United States.

The gang's operations have drawn intense scrutiny from international law enforcement. In the United States, the FBI created the MS-13 National Gang Task Force in 2004 to coordinate efforts to dismantle the gang. US authorities have repeatedly conducted large-scale raids, arresting hundreds of members and associates. The US Department of the Treasury has categorized MS-13 as a transnational criminal organization, the first such designation for a US street gang, and the US State Department later designated it as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2025. This FTO designation allows authorities to block the gang's assets, restrict its financial operations, and expand prosecution tools, and it followed the unprecedented charging of over a dozen MS-13 leaders in El Salvador with terrorism.

In a landmark legal proceeding, a mass trial for 486 alleged MS-13 members began in El Salvador. The group was collectively accused of committing more than 47,000 crimes between 2012 and 2022, including homicide, disappearances, and sexual assaults. Prosecutors presented closing arguments in June 2026, detailing atrocities such as burning bodies and scattering remains to conceal evidence. This trial is a major component of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's aggressive security crackdown, which by 2023 had led to the recording of over 120,000 gang members, aspiring members, and collaborators in the national police database.

Government Responses and Crackdowns

Government responses to MS-13 have varied significantly over time and by country. In El Salvador, the ARENA party presidencies implemented harsh "Mano Dura" and "Super Mano Dura" policies in the 2000s, which involved mass arrests of suspected gang members. Many observers believe these policies ultimately increased gang power by consolidating members within the prison system. This was followed by a controversial and unpopular truce between 2012 and 2014, negotiated under President Mauricio Funes, where gangs agreed to lower homicide rates in exchange for transfers to lower-security prisons and benefits for surrendered weapons. While homicides fell temporarily, the truce allowed gangs to focus on recruitment and extortion, and it did not protect most Salvadorans from being extorted.

The election of President Nayib Bukele marked a dramatic shift with the implementation of a "State of Exception" beginning in 2022, granting authorities broad powers to arrest and detain suspected gang members without charges. This crackdown has led to the imprisonment of tens of thousands of individuals, dealing a significant blow to MS-13's operations within El Salvador. In the United States, beyond law enforcement raids and task forces, the executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January 2025, enacted in February 2025, formally designated MS-13 and other groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, representing a major escalation in the legal framework used to combat them. US prosecutors have also charged over a dozen of the gang's highest-ranking leaders in El Salvador with terrorism-related offences, alleging they directed violence and criminal activity for almost two decades.

MS-13 in Canada

The presence of MS-13 in Canada has been documented by law enforcement for well over a decade. As early as 2008, a Guatemalan prosecutor indicated to The Globe and Mail that members of MS-13 and the 18th Street Gang were in Canada seeking refugee status, noting an instance of a gang member who had returned from a long stint in Ontario. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent John Robin, at the time head of an integrated gang task force, noted that gang members might believe Canadian police would treat them less harshly than authorities in Central America. Canadian authorities have expressed a desire to avoid the scale of gang problems seen in the United States and have taken proactive measures to monitor the threat.

In May 2018, Canadian federal authorities issued a warning to police services across the country about MS-13 gang members attempting to flee the United States and enter Canada. This indicates ongoing cross-border mobility concerns. More recently, law enforcement actions within Canada have targeted alleged affiliates of the gang. Police in the Greater Toronto Area have arrested men allegedly associated with MS-13 on charges including human trafficking and sexual exploitation, demonstrating that the gang's criminal activities have manifested within Canadian communities. These cases underscore the transnational nature of MS-13 and its reach into countries like Canada, where it poses a continued challenge to law enforcement and public safety, and where its members have been found working in places like call centres upon returning from time in Canada.

Questions about MS-13

What does MS-13 stand for?

MS-13 stands for Mara Salvatrucha. The etymology of the name is disputed. 'Mara' is a Central American term for a gang or swarm. 'Salva' refers to El Salvador, and 'trucha' is a Caliche slang word meaning alert or clever. The '13' is widely believed to represent the letter M, the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, though it is also rumoured to pay homage to the Mexican Mafia prison gang. The full name has historical connections to Salvadoran guerrilla fighters from the civil war era and even to locals who fought against US filibuster William Walker in the 1850s.

How did MS-13 spread from Los Angeles to Central America?

The gang's spread to Central America was primarily driven by United States deportation policies. After the Salvadoran Civil War ended in 1992, the US began large-scale deportations of ex-convicts, including arrested MS-13 members, back to their home countries. These deported members then recruited locally in nations like El Salvador, where a weak post-war police force and a surplus of weapons from the conflict allowed the gang to establish itself with little opposition. This policy effectively transplanted the gang's culture and operations, facilitating its international proliferation, a consequence that law enforcement strategies have since had to address.

Is MS-13 active in Canada?

Yes, MS-13 has a confirmed presence in Canada. Law enforcement reports dating back to 2008 indicate that gang members have sought refugee status in the country. In 2018, Canadian federal authorities warned police services about gang members attempting to enter Canada from the United States. More recently, police in the Greater Toronto Area have arrested individuals allegedly associated with MS-13 on charges including human trafficking and sexual exploitation, demonstrating active criminal operations within Canadian communities. The RCMP has acknowledged the gang's presence and the challenge it presents.

Why is MS-13 considered so violent?

MS-13 is notorious for its extreme brutality and a subcultural code based on merciless retribution. The gang often uses machetes as weapons of choice, leading to horrific, dismembering injuries that officials describe as unlike any they have seen before. Violence is used not only against rival gangs but also as a tool for internal discipline, initiation rituals, and instilling fear in communities through extortion. Acts of violence frequently target the families and associates of rivals, and the gang has been implicated in thousands of homicides, disappearances, and sexual assaults, as detailed in recent mass trials in El Salvador where they burned bodies to hide evidence.

What is the US Foreign Terrorist Organization designation for MS-13?

On January 20, 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order initiating the process to designate MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The order was officially enacted on February 20, 2025. This designation categorizes MS-13 alongside groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS under US law. It allows authorities to block the gang's assets in the United States, restrict its financial operations, and provides expanded legal tools for prosecuting its members, representing a significant escalation in the US government's approach to combating the gang as a threat to national security.

What was the outcome of the mass MS-13 trial in El Salvador?

The mass trial of 486 alleged MS-13 leaders and members began in El Salvador, with the group collectively accused of more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022. These crimes included homicides, disappearances, and sexual assaults. Prosecutors presented their final arguments in June 2026, detailing horrific acts such as burning bodies to conceal evidence. This trial is a centrepiece of President Nayib Bukele's aggressive security crackdown, which has led to the imprisonment of tens of thousands of suspected gang members and collaborators.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-18.