San Salvador, El Salvador – Salvadoran police on Wednesday captured 16 members of the M18 gang in an operation involving 160 officers, authorities said.
They said that the operation began before dawn in the Comunidad Las Palmas neighborhood, in southwestern San Salvador, and that it involved personnel from several different law enforcement agencies.
Police said that 10 of the arrested people have outstanding warrants for crimes such as murder, assault or robbery, while the other six were arrested for the mere fact of gang membership, which is a criminal offense in El Salvador.
Also arrested was a woman – not linked to any gang – who was found with about a pound of marijuana and some ammunition.
M18 and the rival Mara Salvatrucha are the largest gangs – or “maras” – operating in El Salvador.
Police figures indicate that there are at least 9,700 gang members in the country and some 80,000 throughout Central America.
The operation came as at least 200 law enforcement delegates from Central America, Mexico and the United States are participating in the second anti-gang convention where they are attempting to coordinate their efforts and share experiences in fighting gangs and preventing them from forming.
El Salvador national police chief Rodrigo Avila told EFE that Wednesday’s raid came after a two-month investigation.
