(The Center Square) – The Drug Enforcement Agency said Tuesday it arrested 17 MS-13 gang members operating a cell based in Nashville.
Other arrests were made in California and Oklahoma, the agency said in a news release announcing it had “dismantled ” the cell. The nine-month investigation also led to the seizure of “bulk quantities of marijuana, counterfeit pills, cocaine, THC vapes, liquid psilocybin, and multiple firearms, including assault rifles.”
“These arrests represent a critical milestone in DEA’s mission to dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in the United States and around the globe – prioritizing those designated by President Trump as Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “MS-13 has left a trail of violence and devastation across communities nationwide.”
MS-13 is considered a public safety and national security threat, according to the agency. The gang’s roots are in Los Angeles, but it has spread across the U.S. and into El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras since its beginning in the 1980s.
“The actions taken today against MS-13 are the first of what will be many strikes against those who prey on the weak in our society,” said Jim Scott, the Louisville Field Division special agent in charge. “The DEA and our law enforcement partners will not allow foreign terrorist organizations to operate in our communities. We will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
The joint investigation includes state and federal agencies.
