Friday 15 January 2010

members of the criminal gang MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, were used as informants

FBI agent says members of the criminal gang MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, were used as informants in Charlotte, N.C.FBI Agent Michael Attard testified Wednesday in the trial of six alleged gang members that investigators turned MS-13 members into informants to help limit the gang's influence in the city, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported Thursday.Attard said the informants would videotape drug buys and gang meetings to provide investigators with vital information. "It enabled us to identify the gang members engaging in criminal activity," the agent said in federal court.Prosecutors maintain the six suspects on trial are part of the international organization from El Salvador. The suspects are among 26 alleged gang members indicted in June 2008.The Observer said Los Angeles Police Detective Frank Flores also testified Wednesday, saying MS-13 has up to 12,000 gang members in the United States alone.

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