WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The United States today imposed financial penalties on violent street gang MS-13, which has thousands of members operating in the United States as well as El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
MS-13, which operates in at least 42 states and is known for recruiting high school students, has been accused of drug trafficking, sex trafficking, human trafficking, home invasions, kidnapping, murder, rape and other criminal activities.
The gang was added to the Obama administration’s list of significant transnational criminal organizations – a label that will subject its members to a host of economic penalties, including blocking any property interests MS-13 has in the United States.
In announcing the designation, the U.S. Treasury said the money MS-13 generates in the United States is funneled to the group’s leaders in El Salvador.
“This action positions us to target the associates and financial networks supporting MS-13, and gives law enforcement an additional tool in its efforts to disrupt MS-13’s activities,” Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen said in a statement.
