Criminal investigation

MS-13 crackdown -- the largest ever in New York -- ensnares nearly 100 members, associates

New York prosecutors have announced the arrests Friday of nearly 100 members and associates of MS-13 in what officials say is the largest crackdown against the gang in the state’s history.

The developments come following a two-year investigation involving law enforcement from the local to the federal level in Suffolk County, one of the gangs’ longtime hotbeds.

“The goal of this investigation was to deliver a major blow to the gang’s leadership, operations and recruitment in our region… we did exactly that," Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini told reporters Friday.

“This operation helped end the New York program," he added.

Sini says investigators arrested 96 members and associates of the gang, who have been charged with crimes ranging from conspiracy to commit murder to drug trafficking to weapons sales. The ages of those arrested range from 16 to 59 and include U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants, he added.