Sting Nabs Nashville Members of MS-13

More than a dozen members of the infamous M-S-13 gang have been nabbed in Nashville after a yearlong operation.

MS-13 is made up of mostly El Salvadorans and considered one of the largest street gangs in the U-S, with an estimated 10-thousand members.

The 13 members arrested in Nashville were indicted on organized crime charges that stem from three alleged murders, seven shootings and several other plotted killings in 2006 alone.

The bust was a joint effort between Metro Police, the District Attorney and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. ATF special agent Jim Cavanaugh says disassembling MS-13 will make Latinos who live here much safer.

“MS-13 makes up one percent of one percent of the Latino community in Nashville, and their victims were mostly Latino. They preyed upon other Latino citizens, and the Latino community was very helpful, as victims, as witnesses to help us to incarcerate these folks.”

Agents say the first signs of MS-13 in Middle Tennessee came in the mid-90’s. The thirteen indicted men range from rank-and-file members to the gang’s regional leadership.

Unlike many domestic gangs, officials say MS-13 is based on violence and power, not drug trafficking. Several of the alleged killings resulted from fights with rival gangs in town.

The District Attorney says the operation to take down MS-13 isn’t over and more indictments are still to come.