Gangs are an issue it seems, all over the country, and Charlotte, NC seems to be no exception. In the lower part of central North Carolina, Charlotte has grown over the years into a sprawling city. The banking industry has brought in people from all over the country. With the crowds of decent upstanding people that have migrated to the area, another element has moved in as well. The criminal element has grown as the city has grown, and with it has come more organized gang activity. The gang element has gotten increasingly worse over the years while locals have turned a blind eye and pretended it wasn't happening.
But they cannot ignore it anymore. It has grown to the point where it is too obvious not to see. Reports on the news cover it daily. Gang 'tags' as they are called, or markings, are everywhere. It has gotten out of control.
Among the gangs in the Charlotte area are the Bloods, Crips, and MS13s. All of these of course are dangerous, but the MS13s seem to be the worst at the moment. It has come to the attention of local as well as federal law enforcement that the MS13s are being sent trainers. Their gang is one that is controlled from El Salvador, and it has been decided by those in charge that the local organizations might need a little more training in drug trafficking, racketeering, extortion, etc. So the higher ups in the organization are sending those that can train in these areas, which of course does not look good for the Charlotte area.
"There seems to be a concerted effort to better organize the gang here in Charlotte," says FBI Special Agent Ray Duda. "And that effort was initiated by leaders in El Salvador.".
The MS13s are not your average gang. They seem to be smart in their organization of their members and realize how to adapt to their surroundings. In a lot of ways they are more mob like than gang. With leaders and a more central control, training, and a chain of command, they are similar in a lot of ways.
