18th Street gang

Transnational criminal gang September 2026 September 2026 December 2025 December 2025 18th Street Gang 18th Street gang graffiti.jpg 18th Street graffiti 1960shttps://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/47140.pdf Ribando C. U.S. Department of States, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 2005 Gangs in Central America June 25, 2017 March 1, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060301201233/https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/47140.pdf dead Carlos Mojicahttps://www.reuters.com/world/americas/founder-leader-barrio-18-gang-dies-el-salvador-2026-05-21/ Founder and leader of Barrio 18 gang dies in El Salvador May 22, 2026 May 25, 2026 Reuters Gerardo Arbaiza Los Angeles, California, United StatesCriminal Street Gangs justice.gov (May 12, 2015) https://web.archive.org/web/20150610061529/https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ocgs/gallery/criminal-street-gangs June 10, 2015 1960s–present United States, Mexico, Central America, Canadahttps://www.insightcrime.org/el-salvador-organized-crime-news/barrio-18-profile/ Barrio 18 www.insightcrime.org 27 March 2017 en-gb 2017-06-21 November 25, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171125011149/https://insightcrime.org/el-salvador-organized-crime-news/barrio-18-profile/ dead Mexicans, Salvadorans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, Native American, Costa Ricans 30,000–50,000 members Drug trafficking, prostitution, extortion, kidnapping, robbery, assault, murder * Mexican MafiaAn Inside Look at 18th St.'s Menace Rich Connell and Robert J. Lopez, Los Angeles Times (November 17, 1996) Sureñoshttps://www.insightcrime.org/el-salvador-organized-crime-news/barrio-18-profile-2/ Barrio 18 13 February 2018 38th Street gang AvenuesThe Avenues: Highland Park Gang KCET (November 14, 2011) Mara SalvatruchaRival deadly gangs share the same prison cell: A look at El Salvador's controversial move Roberto Valencia and Noticias Telemundo, NBC News (May 22, 2020) PlayboysPeople v. Delgado casetext.com (August 31, 2016) Santa Monica 13People v. Vasquez Court Listener (April 17, 2014) Temple Street (gang)People v. Gaytan casetext.com (October 14, 2011) Vineland BoysThe Vineland Boys Gang Richard Valdemar, policemag.com (August 21, 2007) Florencia 13https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-18-me-firestone18-story.html Gang rivalry grows into race war Sam Quinones Los Angeles Times October 18, 2007 BloodsDerek J. Moore http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080315/news/803150313#page=0| Ruthless Asian gangs blaze trail of violence Killing in Jenner casts spotlight on ultraviolent syndicates with roots in Long Beach Press Democrat March 15, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20140407074831/http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080315/news/803150313#page=0&#124 April 7, 2014 live mdy-all Black P. Stones (Jungles)Actor, community activist OG T. Rodgers passes away at 65 Shah Be Allah, The Source (August 20, 2021) https://web.archive.org/web/20210820204953/https://thesource.com/2021/08/20/actor-community-activist-og-t-rodgers-passes-away-at-65/ August 20, 2021 The 18th Street Gang, also known as es Eighteen St, es Barrio 18, es Mara 18, or simply es 18 in North America,Lynch Tristam W. 2008 The evolution of modern Central American street gangs and the political violence they present: Case studies of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras MA thesis University of South Florida http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/370 https://web.archive.org/web/20150706025533/http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/370/ 6 July 2015 liveU.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 2011 HSI dismantles '18th street' gang's fraudulent document ring http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1109/110909newyork.htm 13 January 2012 7 October 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111007061601/http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1109/110909newyork.htm deadBerlin D. Brizius E. Bump M. Garshelis D. Khonsari N. Pinheiro E. Rhudy K. Smith J. 2007 Between the border and the street: A comparative look at gang reduction policies and migration in the United States and Guatemala. Informally published manuscript, Georgetown University Law Center, Human Rights Institute, Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA. http://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=hri_papers is a multi-ethnic (largely Mexican and Central American) street gang from Los Angeles, California.Rosen Jonathan Drugs, Gangs, and Violence Kassab Hanna 8 August 2018 Springer International Publishing 91–116 It is one of the largest street gangs in Los Angeles, with 30,000–50,000 members between the United States, Mexico, and Central America.Franco, Celinda. "The MS 13 and 18th street gangs: Emerging transnational gang threats?." Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, 2007. A United States Department of Justice report featured the following statement regarding 18th Street and rival gang MS-13: "These two gangs have turned the Central American northern triangle into the area with the highest homicide rate in the world".https://www.foxnews.com/world/ms-13-isnt-the-only-homicidal-street-gang-in-town-meet-barrio-18/ MS-13 isn't the only homicidal street gang in town - meet Barrio 18 O'Reilly Andrew 2017-08-04 Fox News 2018-01-29 en-US History The 18th Street Gang was formed in the Rampart District of Los Angeles in the 1960s by Mexican-Americans and other immigrant youths who were not accepted into existing Hispanic gangs, specifically Clanton 14.Valdez Al September 1999 Gang on the move: Be 18th street wise Trade Journal 23 9 48–51 The Clanton 14 gang was composed of mostly Mexican Americans, and only accepted members of Mexican descent. Some members of Clanton 14 wanted to start a new clique called "Clanton 18th Street" and allow members of other ethnicities to join; however, this proposal was rejected by the Clanton 14, which led to the formation of the 18th Street Gang.Zilberg, E. (2011). Space of Detention: The Making of a Transnational Gang Crisis between Los Angeles and San Salvador. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. The two gangs have been bitter rivals ever since. 18th Street grew by expanding its membership to other nationalities and races, and it was among the first multiracial, multi-ethnic gangs in Los Angeles. In the beginning, they were made up largely of second-generation Hispanics. As the 18th Street Gang began to battle with more established Hispanic gangs, they began to recruit outside the Hispanic community. There are approximately two hundred separate, autonomous gangs operating under the same name within separate barrios in the San Fernando Valley; specifically, in North Hollywood, the San Gabriel Valley, South Bay, Riverside, East Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, Pico Union, Westlake, Koreatown, Inglewood, South Gate, Huntington Park, Maywood, Bellflower, Long Beach, Orange County, San Bernardino County, and Los Angeles' Westside or West LA, according to the latest figures from the NDIC.June 2014 In the early 2000s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation initiated wide-scale raids against known and suspected gang members, netting hundreds of arrests across the country. Central America 18th Street started as a Mexican American gang, but the gang also became Central American as it started to recruit more members of other ethnic groups.Maras in Guatemala Increasing in Sophistication - published by Jeremy McDermott on 3 January 2013http://www.ghrc-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/GangFactSheet.pdf Gangs in Guatemala By ghrc-usa.org 29 December 2014 Julie Suarez https://web.archive.org/web/20150924022059/http://www.ghrc-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/GangFactSheet.pdf 24 September 2015 live https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/world/americas/09iht-guatemala.4.11831371.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Guatemalan gang culture conquers the abused with abuse The New York Times 9 April 2008 29 December 2014 Lacey Marc When Central American gang members were arrested in the United States, they were then deported back to Central America, where the gang arose not just in El Salvador, but also in Honduras and Guatemala, becoming one of the most violent gangs in the region.http://www.insightcrime.org/el-salvador-organized-crime-news/barrio-18 El Salvador organized crime insightcrime.org 29 December 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141224051804/http://www.insightcrime.org/el-salvador-organized-crime-news/barrio-18 24 December 2014 live https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-22694989 Honduran gangs Salvatrucha and 18 Street announce truce BBC News 28 May 2013 insightcrime.org 29 December 2014http://www.worldbulletin.net/haber/135377/honduras-street-gangs-torture-children-to-death Honduran Street gangs worldbulletin.net 29 December 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20150318130524/http://www.worldbulletin.net/haber/135377/honduras-street-gangs-torture-children-to-death 18 March 2015 usurped Honduras gangs "You can recognise the gangs from their murders" published By Rob Crilly on 14 November 2014 18th Street later became a bitter rival of MS-13 as both gangs sought supremacy in Central America. Members of 18th Street are mainly Mexican, Salvadoran, Honduran, and Guatemalan, but the gang does have members from other parts of Central America. 18th Street influences have recently been spotted in Belize as well.Honduran 18 Street gang member arrested in Belize https://web.archive.org/web/20150423071029/http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/83717 April 23, 2015 publish by edition.channel5belize.comhttp://latinousa.org/2014/09/12/gangs/ Central American Gangs, Made in L.A. 12 September 2014 Marlon Bishop 29 December 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141228131149/http://latinousa.org/2014/09/12/gangs/ 28 December 2014 live In El Salvador, a faction called the "Revolucionarios ("Revolutionaries") split off 18th Street in 2005,https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-18th-street-gang-just-set-out-to-prove-it-runs-el-salvadors-transport-system/ Lauren Markham The 18th Street Gang Just Set Out to Prove It Runs El Salvador's Transport System VICE News 5 August 2015 becoming rivals with the other members, who came to be known as the Sureños ("Southerners.")http://www.salanegra.elfaro.net/es/201110/cronicas/5917/La-Revoluci%C3%B3n-en-Mariona.htm?st-full_text=1 La Revolución en Mariona es dead https://web.archive.org/web/20170811103509/http://www.salanegra.elfaro.net/es/201110/cronicas/5917/La-Revoluci%C3%B3n-en-Mariona.htm?st-full_text=1 2017-08-11 The Revolution in Mariona José Luis Sanz y Carlos Martínez 2011-10-25https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/04/03/two-salvadoran-gangsters-walk-into-a-church/ Two Salvadoran gangsters walk into a church Joshua Partlow 3 April 2016 www.washingtonpost.comhttps://www.economist.com/news/americas/21672337-crackdown-gangs-has-so-far-made-things-worse-rivers-blood Rivers of blood The Economist20 April 2015 http://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/149940/ms-13-y-mara-18-planean-unirse-para-enfrentar-al-estado/ MS-13 y mara 18 planean unirse para enfrentar al Estado elsalvador.com es Description Location The majority of 18th Street cliques operate throughout Southern California, but are active in other states and internationally as well. Los Angeles members began migrating to other areas outside California and started to establish their own gangs. 18th Street gangs are active in 44 cities in 20 U.S. states, as well internationally reported in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Lebanon, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, the Philippines and historically, El Salvador. Bruneau Thomas 1 December 2011 Maras: Gang Violence and Security in Central America (Google eBook) 37 https://books.google.com/books?id=9P7W7pBQaVkC&q=18th+Street+gang+cliques+England&pg=PA37 University of Texas Press 978-0-292-72928-5 3 March 2014 Organization The organization of the 18th Street Gang differs from location to location. With the gang being spread so vastly nationally and internationally, it is difficult to have a universal organizational structure. The gang is organized in such a way that allows for leadership at every level. One common organizational structure seen used by Barrio 18 is as follows. At the very top are “palabreros” or "leaders", a majority of whom are in prison, but still help run the gang by coordinating all criminal activities. "Palabreros" also exist outside of the prison and are known as "en la libre." Lastly, there are civilians who are known as collaborators. They are not officially gang members, but they are responsible for helping the gang with small jobs, like obtaining intelligence, and moving or holding illicit goods. In Central America the 18th Street Gang designates positions in their organizational structure in another way; at the top are the leaders, known as the "toros," meaning bull. Underneath each “toro” is a clica, which is led by a "homie." Under each "homie" are the "soldados," meaning soldiers.Eighteenth Street: The Origins of 'Barrio 18' Small Wars Journal https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/eighteenth-street-origins-barrio-18 2022-04-01 smallwarsjournal.com 31 August 2020 en Outside of the prisons, Barrio 18 is organized into divisions based on territory called "canchas" (courts) at city/neighborhood level and "tribus" (tribes) at regional level. The gang is horizontal in structure, allowing for a more decentralized approach to things. Although, overall 18th Street Gang is not very organized compared to some other modern day gangs. Women were also able to join the gang, but were treated very poorly. The women that joined the gang had three ways to do so, first was an 18-second beating, second was sexual intercourse with multiple members, and the last option was being the girlfriend or wife of a member can potentially lead to membership over time. The women were expected to take on male-associated roles often involving violence, as well as playing more of a mother role by caring for children and taking care of the sick.2017-03-27 Barrio 18 https://insightcrime.org/el-salvador-organized-crime-news/barrio-18-profile/ 2022-04-01 InSight Crime en-USCawley Marguerite 2013-09-06 The Mara Women: Gender Roles in CentAm Street Gangs https://insightcrime.org/news/analysis/centam-street-gangs-reject-rely-on-women-study/ 2022-04-01 InSight Crime en-US Culture 18th Street Gang members are required to abide by a strict set of rules. Failure to obey the word of a gang leader, or to show proper respect to a fellow gang member, may result in an 18-second beating, or even execution for more serious offenses.Pollack Ricardo http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4201183.stm Americas | Gang life tempts Salvador teens BBC News 24 January 2005 9 August 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100812073125/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4201183.stm 12 August 2010 live According to the FBI, some factions of the 18th Street Gang have developed a high level of sophistication and organization. 18th Street Gang members often identify themselves with the number 18 on their clothing and sporting clothing from sports teams such as the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings, and Las Vegas Raiders. 18th Street will use the symbols XV3, XVIII, X8, 666, 99, and 3-dots (Mi Vida Loca [My Crazy Life]) in their graffiti and tattoos. 18th Street colors are blue and black; blue is to represent and to pay tribute to The Mexican Mafia, and black is to represent the original color for the gang. The 18th Street Gang is occasionally referred to as the "Children's Army" because of its recruitment of elementary and middle-school aged youth. They also allow other ethnicities to join their ranks making the gang multi-ethnic. In El Salvador it is common for members of the gang to be tattooed on the face with a large "18". In many cases the tattoo covers the entire face.https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2012/may/09/el-salvador-gangs-in-pictures El Salvador gangs celebrate a day without murders - in pictures The Guardian 22 August 2016 Joanna Ruck Criminal activity thumb|Alleged members of the 18th Street gang incarcerated at CECOT The most lucrative activity of the 18th Street gang is street-level distribution of cocaine and marijuana, and to a lesser extent, heroin and methamphetamine.Appendix B. National-Level Street, Prison, and Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Profiles - Attorney General's Report to Congress on the Growth of Violent Street Gangs in Suburban Areas (UNCLASSIFIED) https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs27/27612/appendb.htm 2025-05-15 www.justice.gov The gang is also involved in auto theft, carjacking, drive-by shootings, extortion, identification fraud, robbery, assault and homicide. Special Agent George Rodriguez of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) described the 18th Street gang as "one of the most violent street gangs and one of the most prolific in the United States". 18th Street is a well established gang that is involved in all areas of street-crime. Several 18th Street Gang members have reached a higher level of sophistication and organization in their illicit activities than other gangs. While their main source of income is street-level distribution of drugs, they also have been linked to murders, assaults, arson, copyright infringement, extortion, human trafficking, illegal immigration, kidnapping, prostitution, robbery, and weapons trafficking, as well as other crimes.National Gang Intelligence Center – National Gang threat assessment 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20111214194554/http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs32/32146/appb.htm 14 December 2011 The 18th Street Gang has also been implicated in the high-profile kidnapping and murder of the 16-year-old brother of internationally renowned Honduran football player Wilson Palacios.https://bleacherreport.com/articles/171815-tottenhams-wilson-palacios-brother-murdered-by-kidnappers-in-honduras Tottenham's Wilson Palacios' Brother Murdered By Kidnappers in Honduras Bleacher Report 10 May 2009 9 August 2010 Willie Gannon https://web.archive.org/web/20141221091123/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/171815-tottenhams-wilson-palacios-brother-murdered-by-kidnappers-in-honduras 21 December 2014 live In 1998, Catarino Gonzalez was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted Gonzalez of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Officer Filbert Cuesta in the back of the head, while the officer was sitting in a patrol car.Life Term Given in Slaying of Officer published by TIMES STAFF WRITERPeople v. Gonzalez published by scocal.stanford.edu Kingston, New York police arrested and jailed several young men on the charge that they abducted a victim, took him to nearby woods, and murdered him. They were held on federal murder and racketeering charges.Jesse J. Smith, "DA: Gang behind brutal slaying is still in Kingston," Hudson Valley 1, 6 April 2018 https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2018/04/06/da-gang-behind-brutal-slaying-is-still-in-kingston/ In 2019, an 18th Street gangster was fatally shot by a member of rival gang MS-13 in a Queens subway station.Norman Greg Murders, metal pipes and baseball bats: How MS-13 is infiltrating one of NYC's most populous boroughs https://www.foxnews.com/us/murders-metal-pipe-attacks-and-baseball-bats-how-ms-13-is-infiltrating-one-of-nycs-most-populous-boroughs 6 February 2019 Fox News 6 March 2019 In Guatemala City, many bus drivers who drove through the alleged territory of the gang have been killed by 18th Street Gang members. Bus drivers have also often been victims of robberies and extortion.Wells Miriam 2017-03-27 Murders of Guatemala Bus Drivers Double in 2013 http://insightcrime.org/news/brief/driving-guatemala-buses-gets-even-more-deadly/ 2025-05-31 InSight Crime en-US2014-11-06 Guatemalan security forces capture gang members carrying improvised bombs https://dialogo-americas.com/articles/guatemalan-security-forces-capture-gang-members-carrying-improvised-bombs/ 2025-05-31 Diálogo Américas en-US In film La Vida Loca (film) fr La vida loca La Vida Loca, a 2008 documentary film by Christian Poveda See also Criminal tattoo Mejicanos massacre Transnational gangs References Further reading http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5177616.stm BBC News El Salvador swoops on street gang 13 July 2006 Ana Arana 157770788 How the Street Gangs Took Central America Foreign Affairs 84 3 2005 98–110 10.2307/20034353 20034353 External links MS-13 Member's Trail Shows Gang's Movement 18th Street Gang/MS-13 Rivalry Chris Strohm http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0805/080105c1.htm DHS touts success of anti-gang operation GovExec.com 1 August 2005 14 March 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060303205030/http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0805/080105c1.htm 3 March 2006 dead La Cloaca Internacional: Entrevista de dos horas a integrantes del Barrio 18 (in Spanish) FBI.gov ICE.gov Category:Organizations established in the 1960s Category:1960s establishments in California Category:Sureños Category:Transnational organized crime Category:Gangs in Los Angeles Category:Gangs in New York City Category:Gangs in Boston Category:Gangs in Philadelphia Category:Gangs in Chicago Category:Gangs in Wisconsin Category:Gangs in El Salvador Category:Gangs in Guatemala Category:Gangs in Honduras Category:Guatemalan-American culture Category:Honduran-American culture Category:Mexican-American culture in Los Angeles Category:Salvadoran-American culture in California Category:Gangs in North Carolina Category:Gangs in Minnesota Category:Gangs in Louisiana Category:Gangs in Texas Category:Gangs in Colorado Category:Gangs in Washington (state) Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by El Salvador