Assignment: The Most Dangerous Gang in America

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.3 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2008

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The United States has long been home to violent gangs, from the Mafia to the Bloods and Crips. But recently, US authorities have warned of the dangers of a transnational, ultra-violent gang with its origins in Central America. The FBI has now opened an office in El Salvador to deal with the threat of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. For Assignment, Maurice Walsh travelled to Washington DC's suburbs and San Salvador to take a look at MS-13, dubbed "The Most Dangerous Gang in America."

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you for downloading from the BBC.
0:03.0	The details of our complete range of podcasts
0:06.0	and our terms of use go to BBCWorldService.com
0:09.0	Slash Podcasts.
0:24.0	Salvador sends greetings to their compatriots in the United States
0:27.0	in a homemade video.
0:29.0	It's not a family sending best wishes to the relatives
0:32.0	or a village keeping in touch with its exiles.
0:35.0	The men lining up to record their messages,
0:38.0	showing off the tattoos that cover their arms and chests,
0:41.0	are prisoners in San Salvador.
0:45.0	Their words are directed at other members of their gang in Maryland.
0:49.0	This is the communications network of the Mara Salvatrucha,
0:53.0	known for short as MS-13,
0:55.0	and fast acquiring a reputation
0:57.0	as one of the most dangerous gangs in the US.
1:00.0	The crimes range from gang rapes to murders of rival gang members
1:05.0	to other drug-related crimes.
1:07.0	They're really about violence.
1:09.0	The motto of the gang was rape, kill, control.
1:12.0	In this BBC program, we'll show how MS-13's foot soldiers
1:16.0	in the United States get their orders direct from El Salvador
	...

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