Mara (gang)

A mara (or marabunta) is a form of gang originating in the United States, which spread to Central American countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.[1]

Activities

Maras activities range from arms trafficking, assault, auto theft, burglaries, drug trafficking, extortion, human trafficking, identity fraud, identity theft, illegal gambling, illegal immigration, kidnapping, money laundering, people smuggling, prostitution, racketeering, robbery and vandalism. Almost all maras display tattoos on their bodies as a sign of their affiliation to their gang.[2] "La vida por las maras" or "the life for the gang" is a very commonly used phrase by these gangs.

Rivalries

The best known maras are Mara Salvatrucha and their rivals Calle 18. Maras were hunted by death squads including Sombra Negra.[3]

gollark: Helloboious ones.
gollark: Yes, that's right, VERY INCONSISTENT NATURAL LANGUAGE SUPPORT.
gollark: ++remind saturday very guesses
gollark: ++remind friday guesses
gollark: When does the guessing phase end? I MUST guess.

See also
  • Mara 18
  • Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13 from Los Angeles)
  • Vatos Locos

References
  1. Stephen Castles, Raúl Delgado Wise (2007). "Migration and Development: A Conceptual Review of the Evidence". Migration andDevelopment: Perspectives from the South. Geneva: International Organization for Migration (IOM). p. 33. Archived from the original on 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  2. "Maras criminal gangs". City Mayors Foundation. 2006-07-26. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  3. Mar 1999 USCIS publication QA/SLV/99.001 Archived 2009-06-27 at the Wayback Machine, esp pg. 6 citation #14.


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