MS-13 gangsters in Houston plead to racketeering, murder

Four members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang on Monday pleaded guilty to a slew of charges after years of racketeering. Another four men pleaded guilty last month to charges connected to the same group conspiracy. The eight men, all citizens of El Salvador who were living in Houston at the time of the crimes, face decades in prison. 

They reportedly carried out brutal murders as part of their involvement with the MS-13 gang, said Acting U.S. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti. Their guilty pleas show that the Justice Department will hold accountable gang members who use violence and murder to terrorize communities, he said. All eight men will be sentenced later this year.

What else do we know about their crimes? In their plea agreements, the men also admitted to participating in extortion, drug trafficking, robbery, and obstruction of justice in the Houston area between 2017 and 2018. High-ranking members of MS-13 ordered them to murder people who were possible members of rival gangs, were cooperating with law enforcement, or were working against the gang, according to court documents.

Nearly a dozen federal and local law enforcement agencies cooperated to investigate the case, which is part of the Justice Department’s Operation Take Back America. The national initiative aims to repel illegal immigrants, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and establish Homeland Security Task Forces. 

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Mexico and Ecuador where he discussed immigration and drug trafficking.