HomeNewsBriefApproach with Caution Report on El Salvador's Gangs 'Readying for War'
BRIEF

Approach with Caution Report on El Salvador's Gangs 'Readying for War'

BARRIO 18 / 18 MAR 2014 BY SETH ROBBINS EN

Anonymous intelligence sources say El Salvador's street gangs held military training sessions for their most loyal and lethal members and are getting involved in international drug trafficking, a provocative allegation that comes amidst a volatile political transition and a highly contentious gang truce.

About 60 members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) -- deemed "Special Operations of the Neighborhood" -- were trained over two days last February in a number of military techniques, including how to ambush an enemy, engage in a firefight and use various weapons, newspaper El Diaro De Hoy reported.

The report, however, was cloaked in unnamed police and intelligence sources. The evidence presented amounted to a photocopy of a letter (not available online) allegedly composed and circulated by a gang leader, indicating that the gang should seek military training from former combatants in El Salvador's 12-year civil war.

According to the report, the training was ordered by the "12 Apostles," as the principal leaders of the MS13 are called, and held in a rural area of La Union, a department in the east of the country. 

The report also alleges that three MS13 leaders are working with a Mexican cartel, and that the military-style training in the MS13 is part of a concerted effort by the street gang to expand from local microtrafficking into high-level transnational drug smuggling.

The MS13's rivals, the Barrio 18 gang, the report adds, are also increasingly involved in organizing large-scale shipments of drugs. 

InSight Crime Analysis

This report should be approached with caution, not least because it does not name a single source besides the unattributed letter. High-level military and police officials are known to have links with organized crime and drug trafficking networks, and they might be releasing this information as a way to implicate the gangs, which are rightly blamed for much of El Salvador's ills but are not players in international drug trafficking.

SEE ALSO: El Salvador's Gang Truce: Strengths and Weaknesses

What's more, the report comes as El Salvador continues to sort out a highly-contested and still disputed election, which the left-wing Farabundo Marti Liberation Front (FMLN) candidate Salvador Sanchez Ceren won by the slimmest of margins. It is still not known exactly what type of security strategy Sanchez Ceren will put forth, and the report might be a way for El Diario De Hoy, a staunchly conservative paper, to advocate for tougher tactics against the gangs and highlight how the previous FMLN administration's efforts to forge a truce between the MS13 and Barrio 18 could backfire on the populace.

However, if proven true, the report would lend credence to concerns the MS-13 are looking to step up into transnational organized crime, and also confirm what many critics have said about the truce: that it has served to help strengthen and organize the gangs' criminal operations. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

EL SALVADOR / 1 JUL 2021

Multiple sources from the United States and El Salvador say the recent decision to temporarily halt the extradition of several…

EL SALVADOR / 28 APR 2022

The notorious MS13 street gang boasts a diverse criminal portfolio – including prostitution. Through violence, abuse and intimidation, the gang…

BARRIO 18 / 21 JUN 2021

A massacre between the Barrio 18 and MS13 gangs in Honduras’ most notorious prison raises questions on whether the military…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.