Pubdate: Tue, 14 Mar 2006
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: David Carrigg, The Province

HISPANIC GANG SETS UP IN CITY

Increase In Crime, Violence Follows In Wake Of New Arrivals

A violent California-based Hispanic gang is setting up drug houses in
Vancouver, using newly arrived refugees to do the gang's dirty work.

Local police fear a surge in violence as MS-13 gangsters clash with
rival street gangs.

"They are setting up a large suite, or renting a house, and there'll
be anywhere from a few to 14 new arrivals from Central America living
in the house," said Vancouver police Det. Const. Russ Wardrop.

"There'll be one [MS-13] gang member in the house who is the house
leader and that member makes the arrangements for the drugs and the
drug distribution through these other individuals," Wardrop said.

"It's very rare to see the gang member standing on the corner selling
drugs."

Wardrop, who's with the Vancouver Police Department's criminal
intelligence branch, is particularly troubled by the violence that has
followed the gang in other parts of North America.

"They are relatively new here but I use Seattle as an example because
a lot of what takes place there doesn't take long to get here," he
said.

"When they started showing up in Seattle in the mid-1990s, they were
very low profile. Now, with MS-13 in Seattle, they've had murders,
shootings, bank robberies. Every place they have arrived, there is an
increase in violence and crime and I don't see any reason Vancouver
would be different.

"It's only a matter of time before we start seeing that here --
conflicts with other groups."

Wardrop said the first MS-13 member was arrested in Vancouver in 1997
- -- when police knew little about the group, recently dubbed "the most
dangerous gang in North America" by Newsweek magazine.

However, over the past three years, the number of MS-13 gang members
identified by Vancouver police has increased and the number of drug
houses raided has risen.

Wardrop said the first Vancouver MS-13 gang homes busted were in the
Downtown Eastside, then in Mount Pleasant and most recently in
southeast Vancouver and near the Vancouver-Burnaby boundary.

Wes McBride of the California Gang Investigators Association said
yesterday he was not surprised to hear the gang had infiltrated B.C.

"The MS follow the labour market," McBride said. "If you have migrant
workers of any sort, they will be there and it's easy for them to get
into Canada, as it is here."

McBride said it is not unusual in California to find gang-controlled
homes with up to 20 recent arrivals living in them.

MS-13 members are easily recognized by police because most are heavily
tattooed on their upper bodies, including the arms and face, with
MS-13 lettering done in Gothic style. A shaved head with a goatee
beard is also popular.

Wardrop said 24 MS-13 gangsters have been identified in Vancouver. Of
those, 15 have been deported while others, like 20-year-old Reyes
Granados, are still in custody awaiting extradition.

Granados was arrested in Vancouver in January 2005, after fleeing
Seattle following a shooting.

"Right now there could be as many as 40 in Vancouver we haven't
identified," Wardrop said.

Wardrop said MS-13 gang activity in Vancouver is centred on
street-drug dealing, strong-arming SkyTrain patrons and drug-debt collection.

Vancouver police youth workers have also recently noticed graffiti
that seems MS-13 inspired and youth wearing blue and white garb, which
is preferred by the gang.
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