Los Angeles Combating Gangs Gone International

Two gangs that originated on the streets here have grown so large in El Salvador that there are two prisons in that country devoted exclusively to their members, one for each gang, according to officials who traveled there recently to meet with the local authorities.

That is just one measure of the way gangs in this city with the worst gang problem in the United States have bolstered their presence in Mexico and Central America, where they attract new members eager to come here. The growth in their transnational networks has made these criminal organizations all the more worrisome, officials say.

“These gangs are the new and emerging organized crime in America,” said Bruce Riordan, director of anti-gang operations for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.”*

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