Kuzma/iStock(NEW YORK) — The notorious MS-13 street gang in Suffolk County, New York, has been declared “inoperable,” law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Authorities plan to announce at a Friday afternoon press conference charges against 100 MS-13 gang members and associates in what’s described as the largest take down of the violent street gang in New York State history.
The two-year investigation has thwarted seven alleged murder plots, prosecutors said.
Originally founded in Southern California by gang members from El Salvador, MS-13, known in Spanish as La Mara Salvatrucha, has been accused in recent years of brutal murders and assaults on eastern Long Island.
MS-13 has tried to establish an East Coast base and has wreaked havoc throughout the county. Their violence in Long Island included the 2016 murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, which drew the attention of President Donald Trump.
“They kidnap, they extort, they rape and they rob. They prey on children, they shouldn’t be here,” Trump said when he visited Suffolk County in July 2017. “It’s time for every member of M-S-13 to be in fear. Look over their shoulder. Look in their rear view mirror, because ICE and its partners are comin’ hard, and we’re comin’ strong.”
In the expected announcement, authorities also plan to reveal how they learned MS-13 was trying to replenish its depleted ranks by asking gang members in other states to come to Suffolk County.
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