"Tijuano" for Borderland Beat
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The Salvadoran Mara has become a major link in the human and drug smuggling chains that Los Zetas have in Central America.
The services that these Centro American gang originated in Los Angeles provides to the ruthless Mexican cartel have passed from simply bringing protection to drug shipments, to being actively involved in the logistics of cocaine trafficking, human smuggling and weapon sales to Los Zetas.
In exchange, the former military wing of the Gulf Cartel provides with military training to some members of the criminal group.
A study run by the International Assessment and Strategy Center in the US titled “Central American Gangs and Transnational Criminal Organizations, The Changing Relationships in a Time of Turmoil” reveals that MS-13 from El Salvador has established an unprecedented new relationship with the Mexican cartel.
According to the study, up until recent years the main task of the Salvadoran gangs was to protect the cocaine shipments coming from South America, which once arriving to El Salvador belonged to the Mexican Cartels.
However, in recent months, according to testimonies from gang members and Salvadoran police officers consulted for the report, the cartel of Los Zetas and MS-13 have reached more lucrative arrangements for both in their criminal activities.
When the Mexican cartels presence began to grow in the region and they began to seize control of the Central American drug routes, mainly in the triangle comprised of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) grew in fire power, setting aside their reliance on small caliber weapons, acquiring instead AK-47 rifles, grenades, grenade launchers and antitank projectiles, which most of the time are sold to Los Zetas or interchanged for small quantities of cocaine which they later sell in the local market.
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) grew in fire power, setting aside their reliance on small caliber weapons, acquiring instead AK-47 rifles, grenades, grenade launchers and antitank projectiles, which most of the time are sold to Los Zetas or interchanged for small quantities of cocaine which they later sell in the local market.
According to the report, the weapons acquired by the MS-13 for Los Zetas are mainly purchased in Nicaragua, although they are also purchased to corrupt military men from Honduras and El Salvador, coupled with this, the report continues, MS-13 keeps an efficient and independent network of human trafficking to move gang members from and to the United States.
This network allows them to bring Central America to the United States in only 72 hours. Nowadays, the report says, their structure is merging with the smuggling networks of Los Zetas in an unprecedented alliance for both groups.
The reports even states that all the Central American “coyotes” or “polleros” (human smugglers) that use the routes controlled by Los Zetas are members of MS-13, which could mean the first real consolidation of two human smuggling networks in the region.
They see themselves as partners
One of the main dogmas preached in MS-13 is “The group works for nobody”. The study mentions that there have been efforts by Los Zetas, mostly successful, to recruit the best and most talented killers and hit men from MS-13.
Finally the report states that the relationship between these groups is evolving to cooperation levels never before seen. It says that some associated cells of MS-13 like the “Fulton Locos Salvatruchas” and the “Hollywood Loco Salvatrucho”, which are the most vicious groups, have received training from Los Zetas.