Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Long Island could not take on the MS-13 without a bit of help from the federal government.
In an exclusive sit-in with the post that immigrant crews like Venezuela Gang Tren Aragua will wreaking havoc in New York metropolitan areas, Tierney said the MS-13 poses a greater threat as rank prestige is gained solely through violence and murder.
“That's what MS-13 is about and to become the biggest, worst, most violent gangster in the world,” he said. “They thought of the murderous portion and parcel of what they did, and that's how you gained fame and respect and rose in the gang by committing outrageous acts of violence, including murder.
“In the spirit of a gang, the best way to achieve that will be your hands, the club's machete,” Tierney said. “Violence against MS-13 does not necessarily promote economic benefits.”
He said his office was successful in closing many gangs on his lawn.
“The reason it got so much better is mainly the federal government, the FBI, the US lawyers' office. And I was part of it, but that was their institutions. They took a lot of these violent actors out of the streets and made it even better.”
According to federal officials, the MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha 13, was formed by immigrants from the US El Salvador, who fled the country's civil war in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Initially intended to protect immigrants from violence, gangs have grown into one of the nation's most notorious criminal enterprises, relying on violent attacks rather than traditional criminal acts.
Gang members have three rules to determine death sentences. Members cannot work with the police and outsiders cannot underestimate the gang. Also, gang rape of a rival would be visibly executed.
In New York, the MS-13 established a strong presence on Long Island, peaking in 2015, leaving a trajectory of helpless and merciless violence.
In October, a gangster hanger-on called the “Little Devil” was sentenced to 50 years in prison for MS-13 thugs lured them into a local park where they hacked and died.
24-year-old Leniz Escobar In 2022, he was found guilty of four counts of murder and one count of assault in connection with a horrifying crime.
In July, 29-year-old Alexis Schenz, former director of sailor Locos Salvattorchas Westside Creek, admitted to be behind a string of murders, including the death of 15-year-old friend Kaila Kuebas, who was beaten and hacked in 2016.
In March 2024, Suffolk County police said two mutilated heads and other scattered body parts found at Babylon Park are believed to be linked to MS-13.
Tren de Aragua, a recent immigration threat in the Big Apple and its surrounding suburbs, exploited urban-funded shelters in five boroughs by recruiting new members and leading illegal operations.
Despite its ability to violence, TDA relies primarily on drugs, guns, human trafficking, and acquired robberies by crews of mock immigrants.
Both MS-13 and Tren de Aragua were designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration, which launched nationwide raids to expel illegal immigrants.
