White House classifies MS-13 gang an international criminal organization

A Central American street gang based in Los Angeles has been newly classified by the Obama administration as an international criminal organisation, which means that it is now subject to US sanctions. "This is first time the designation has been given to such a group in the US," reports the Guardian. Mara Salvatrucha "is believed to have as many as 10,000 members across 46 US states and Central America."