Trump’s tough talk on immigration was a godsend to those who’ve longed for the United States to finally protect its own border. For decades, both parties have pussyfooted around the illegal question, opting to kick the can down the round while the country has been invaded by the tens of millions.
But securing our border and stemming the flow of illegals is only part of Trump’s game-plan, as he and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have also promised to tackle the related issue of gang violence perpetrated by illegals and the drug trade. Sessions, in particular, has vehemently targeted America’s gangs, especially the notoriously violent MS-13, which has seen its ranks swell along with the number of illegals.
As reported at the New York Post, DEA officials announced on Thursday that their efforts against the MS-13 gang had yielded significant results. The agency captured 17 high-ranking members and associates operating across numerous Long Island towns, including the group’s Northeast leader.
“Not only did we arrest the highest-level Mara Salvatrucha leader in the Northeast who reports to MS-13 in El Salvador, but we sent a message that we will continue to investigate their violent crimes and bring justice to their victims,” DEA Special Agent in Charge James Hunt said in a statement.
The thugs have been slapped with various charges, like second-degree murder, conspiracy, and drug trafficking. They’re all facing 25 years to life if convicted on the most serious charges.
“This massive multi-agency investigation laid bare the global size, complexity, and brutality of MS-13, and these indictments strike a heavy blow to the gang’s operations on Long Island,” Nassau County DA Madeline Singas said in a statement.
“These alleged gang members have terrorized vulnerable immigrant communities, trafficked deadly heroin into our neighborhoods, and this coalition of more than 22 agencies nationwide will continue to be unrelenting in our efforts to dismantle MS-13.”
The investigation began in May 2017, with officials working to identify the various “cliques” operating across the Northeast. Along the way, two major sub-groups emerged–the “Sailors” and “Hollywood.” They were conducting all sorts of illegal activities and sending the funds back to El Salvador, and they were even reporting directly to MS-13 leaders.
“It started as a small-scale drug investigation on Long Island, a DEA investigation which is still growing, and as it went along and we brought other agencies on, we saw a violent threat that pushed us to get even more agencies involved and eventually apprehend this regional leader of MS-13,” Hunt said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.
“We didn’t start this case out to get this guy. But through great investigation, we found a pathway to the highest echelons of MS-13 on Long Island.”
While the name of the leader hasn’t been released, his capture is a major milestone in the Trump administration’s war against the gang. Hopefully, successes like this one will continue to roll in and the violent gang completely eradicated from the streets of America.
Source: New York Post