STREET GANG MS-13 infamous for VICIOUS MACHETE KILLINGS is first to be DECLARED an INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL GROUP ..

Roots: The gang was founded by immigrants fleeing El Salvador's civil war more than two decades ago

The gang was founded by immigrants fleeing El Salvador's civil war more than two decades ago. 

Its founders took lessons learned from that brutal conflict to the streets of Los Angeles and built a reputation as one of the most ruthless and sophisticated street gangs, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Jason Shatarsky.

With as many as 10,000 members in 46 states, the gang has expanded far beyond its initial roots. Members are accused of major crimes including murder, kidnapping, prostitution, drug smuggling and human trafficking.

The group established itself in Los Angeles before spreading across the U.S., said Shatarsky, an MS-13 expert assigned to ICE's national gang unit. 

The group's violence — using a machete to hack a victim to death or shooting someone in the head in broad daylight, for instance — surprised authorities and even rival gangs.

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