Gang violence, fueled by the drug trade in Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean, is having a serious effect on people's lives and threatens to alter the social fabric of the countries in the region. Central American gangs, also called "maras," named after the voracious ants known as "marabuntas," are involved in a wide range of criminal activities such as arms and drug trafficking, kidnapping, human trafficking, people smuggling and illegal immigration.
In Latin America, gang violence is not limited to the Central American region. Gang activity has intensified throughout the continent and has even reached Argentina. In Japan, gang violence is also present. In recent times it has involved violence between gangs for control of territory and resources.
One of the best known Central American gangs, Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, has an estimated 70,000 members that are active in urban and suburban areas. It originated in Los Angeles in the 1960s and then spread to other parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. The gang's activities have gotten the attention of the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which have conducted raids and arrested hundreds of gang members. The FBI called MS-13 "America's most violent gang."