MS-13 is a part of the Sinaloa Cartel after being absorbed.
MS-13 -LRB- Mara Salvatrucha ; also known as simply MS or Mara -RRB- is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles , California , US in the 1980s .. criminal gang. Street gang. The gang later spread to many parts of the continental United States , Canada , Mexico , and Central America , and is active in urban and suburban areas .. Central America. Central America. Most members are ethnically of Central American origin -LRB- principally El Salvador -RRB- .. El Salvador. El Salvador. In the U.S. , the MS-13 has an especially heavy presence in Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area in California ; the Washington , D.C. metropolitan areas of Fairfax County , Virginia , Montgomery County , Maryland , and Prince George 's County , Maryland ; Queens , New York ; Long Island , New York ; Newark , New Jersey , Plainfield , New Jersey ; Jersey City , New Jersey ; Elizabeth , New Jersey ; the Boston , Massachusetts area ; Charlotte , North Carolina ; and Houston , Texas .. Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County. San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco Bay Area. There is also a presence of MS-13 in Toronto , Ontario , Canada .. Members of MS are characterised by tattoos covering the body and also often the face , and by the use of their own sign language .. sign language. gang signal#Hand signs. They are notorious for their use of violence and a subcultural moral code that predominantly consists of merciless revenge and cruel retributions .. subcultural. subculture. moral code. moral code. This cruelty of the distinguished members of the `` Maras '' or `` Mareros '' earned them a path to be recruited by the Sinaloa Cartel battling against Los Zetas in an ongoing drug war in Mexico .. Sinaloa Cartel. Sinaloa Cartel. Los Zetas. Los Zetas. Maras. Mara ( gang ). an ongoing drug war. Mexican Drug War. Their wide-ranging activities have drawn the attention of the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement , who have initiated wide-scale raids against known and suspected gang members , arresting hundreds across the country .. FBI. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement