 Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription), MN
Over the past decade, gangs have spread like a scourge across Central America, Mexico and the United States, setting off a catastrophic crime wave that has turned dirt-poor neighborhoods into combat zones. An equally virulent crackdown has left thousands of gang members dead, in hiding, in jail or heading to the United States.
The authorities estimate there are 70,000 to 100,000 gang members across Central America and Mexico. In the past decade, gangs have killed thousands of people, sowing new fear in a region still struggling to overcome civil wars that ended a decade ago. Gangs, known in the region as "maras," after a species of swarming ant, have replaced guerrillas as public enemy No. 1.
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