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Seal of the United States Department of the Treasury (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Wednesday designated six members of the notorious El Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13581, which targets transn
English: Mara Salvatrucha tattoo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ational criminal organizations (TCOs) and their supporters. Today’s actions, supported extensively by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), are part of the Treasury Department’s ongoing efforts to target the leadership of global criminal organizations, including MS-13, that threaten innocent people and legitimate business around the world, including in the United States. In October 2012, MS-13 became the first transnational criminal street gang to be designated by Treasury as a TCO. MS-13 has been involved in serious criminal activity, in the United States and around the world, including human smuggling, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, assassinations, racketeering, blackmail, extortion, and immigration offenses.
“MS-13 is an extremely violent and dangerous gang responsible for a multitude of crimes that directly threaten the welfare and security of U.S. citizens, as well as peoples throughout Central America,” said Adam Szubin, Director of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. “We will continue to target the leadership and financial networks supporting MS-13, and work with our law enforcement partners from across the United States and around the world to disrupt their criminal activities.”
“Today’s designation of six MS-13 leaders is the result of Homeland Security Investigation’s National Gang Unit and OFAC’s joint partnership to further strike at the financial heart of one of the most dangerous transnational criminal gangs in the world today,” said ICE Director John Morton. “This powerful tool will provide HSI and its local, state, federal and international law enforcement partners to further disrupt MS-13 financial networks and violent operations. “History has proven that we can successfully take down organized crime groups when we combine sophisticated investigative techniques with tough street level enforcement, cutting off cash flows, contraband and collaborators to ensure they no longer find safe haven in our communities.”
Today’s designations of six individuals working for or on behalf of MS-13 are designed to further disrupt the activities of MS-13 and to protect the U.S. and international financial system from abuse. As active members and leaders, these individuals are heavily involved in directing and participating in illicit activity, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, and murder. Borromeo Enrique Henriquez Solorzano, incarcerated in El Salvador, is widely regarded as the Central American leader of the group and frequently acts as the spokesperson for the MS-13 gang in El Salvador. Several other MS-13 leaders, including Marvin Geovanny Monterrosa Larios, Moises Humberto Rivera Luna, and Saul Antonio Turcios Angel, have been indicted in the United States for racketeering, murder, and other violent crimes. Moris Alexander Bercian Manchon has been involved in narcotics trafficking operations on behalf of the organization and Jose Misael Cisneros Rodriguez is both an MS-13 crime boss and a narcotics trafficker.
MS-13 consists of more than 30,000 members and operates in at least five countries, including the United States. It is one of the most dangerous criminal gangs in the world today. MS-13 promotes its illicit interests through murder, kidnapping, blackmail, extortion, and assassination, including carrying out numerous murders within the United States.
U.S. persons and businesses are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the individuals designated today, and any assets of those designees subject to U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.
For a chart relating to today’s actions click here.
Identifiers
Name: Moris Alexander Bercian Manchon
AKA: “El Barney”
Date of Birth: October 30, 1984
Place of Birth: San Salvador, El Salvador
Nationality: Salvadoran
Name: Jose Misael Cisneros Rodriguez,
AKA: Jose Misal Cisneros
AKA: “Medio Millon”
AKA: “Half Million”
Date of Birth: October 2, 1976
Place of Birth: Agua Caliente, Chalatenango, El Salvador
Nationality: Salvadoran
Name: Marvin Geovanny Monterrosa-Larios
AKA: Marvin Jeovanny Monterrosa-Larios
AKA: “Enano”
Date of Birth: May 21, 1974
Place of Birth: San Miguel, San Miguel, El Salvador
Nationality: Salvadoran
Name: Moises Humberto Rivera-Luna,
AKA: “Santos”
AKA: “Viejo Santos”
Date of Birth: May 23, 1969
Place of Birth: San Salvador, El Salvador
Nationality: Salvadoran
Name: Saul Antonio Turcios Angel
AKA: “El Trece”
AKA: “Shayboys”
Date of Birth: May 17, 1978
Place of Birth: Zaragoza, La Libertad, El Salvador
Nationality: Salvadoran
Name: Borromeo Enrique Henriquez Solorzano
AKA: Racson Mario Rivera Arias
AKA: “El Diablo Pequeno”
AKA: “El Diablo”
AKA: “El Diablito”
AKA: “El Diablito De Hollywood”
Date of Birth: July 27, 1978
Place of Birth: San Salvador, El Salvador
Nationality: Salvadoran
