18th Street gang, also known as Calle 18, Barrio 18, La 18 or Mara 18 in Central America, is a multi-ethnic transnational criminal organization that started as a street gang in the Temple area of Los Santos, San Andreas. They are considered to be the largest transnational criminal gang in the US and it is estimated that there are tens of thousands of members in Los Santos County alone. Their wide-ranging illegal activities and notoriety has come to the attention of the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 18th Street gang members are active in the distribution of narcotics and have been known to commit carjackings, drive-by shootings, extortion, murder, falsification of documents and other criminal acts. The majority of 18th Street cliques operating throughout San Andreas, other states and internationally are the result of members migrating to other areas and establishing their own cliques. 18th Street cliques have been identified in 120 cities in 37 states and the District of Columbia in the United States, as well internationally in Spain, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Lebanon, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. |
"We recognize them as one of the most violent street gangs and one of the most prolific in the United States," says Special Agent George Rodriguez, who until his retirement oversaw investigations for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Cars are stolen and homes are burglarized by the gang routinely. On average, someone in Los Santos County is assaulted or robbed by 18th Streeters every day. "They rewrote the rules of the game," he says. |