Federal officials announced Tuesday that 17 members of the MS-13 gang were arrested following a nine-month investigation that targeted a cell operating out of Nashville.
The DEA said additional arrests were made in California and Oklahoma. Agents also seized large amounts of marijuana, counterfeit pills, cocaine, THC vapes, liquid psilocybin, and several firearms, including assault rifles.
“MS-13 has left a trail of violence and devastation across communities nationwide,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said, calling the bust a major step in dismantling the group’s U.S. operations.
The agency considers MS-13 both a public safety risk and a national security threat. Founded in Los Angeles during the 1980s, the gang has expanded across the U.S. and into Central America.
Louisville Field Division Special Agent Jim Scott vowed more action to come: “We will not allow foreign terrorist organizations to operate in our communities. We will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
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