El Salvador

The 18th Street Gang, also known as “Barrio 18,” is one of the largest youth gangs in the Western Hemisphere. Like its better known rival, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13), the Barrio 18 has cells operating from Central America to Canada, …

The Mara Salvatrucha, or MS13, is perhaps the most notorious street gang in the Western Hemisphere. While it has its origins in the poor, refugee-laden neighborhoods of 1980s Los Angeles, the gang’s reach now extends from Central American nations like …

José Adán Salazar Umaña, alias “Chepe Diablo,” does not fit the normal profile of a criminal leader. As the former president of the first division of Salvadoran soccer and the owner of numerous hotels, he is a prominent businessman and …

La Unión’s two ports and its Pacific coastline are routinely used by cocaine smugglers moving drugs north in boats and submarines.

Though not a major hub for transnational organized crime, the department of Chalatenango is a transit point for migrants, arms and drugs.

Aside from some contraband smuggling between Cabañas and neighboring Honduras, there is no indication that the department is involved in any major transnational crime.

There is a minor presence of transnational organized crime in Morazán and limited gang activity.

Ahuachapán is a transit point for cocaine and marijuana shipments. There is also a strong MS13 presence in the department.

El Salvador is a relatively small but growing player in the drug trafficking business. It serves as a drug recipient and storage point along the Pacific Coast, and a bridge via the Pan-American Highway, the Fonseca Gulf, and roads from …