The New Mafia

Also known as Mara Salvatrucha: La nueva mafia, National Geographic: The New Mafia, Mara Salvatrucha 13 Gang, Gängkriget I El Salvador, MS-13 The New Mafia

MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha; also known as simply MS or Mara) is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, US in the 1980s. The gang later spread to many parts of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America, and is active in urban and suburban areas. Most members are ethnically of Central American origin (principally El Salvador).