(NewsNation) — The violence brought on by the notorious Salvadoran gang MS-13 has left a deep mark in Suffolk County, New York, where District Attorney Raymond Tierney has led the prosecution of dozens of violent cases during his tenure as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District.
“I prosecuted approximately 67 murders that occurred on Long Island, which were alleged to have been committed by the MS-13,” Tierney said.
Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department designated MS-13 as a terrorist organization. The gang, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, was created by Salvadoran immigrants in the U.S. before it gained traction in Central America, according to officials.
Among the most well-known cases are the murders of teenagers Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens in 2016 in Brentwood. Another tragic case involved a brutal gang attack in Central Islip, where a young mother and her 2-year-old son were killed execution-style.
“The MS-13 is probably the most unique gang in that their purpose is to be the biggest, baddest gang in the world,” Tierney said. “With MS-13, the violence is because they want to be known as the biggest gang and the most violent gang.”
Tierney added, “It was a virtual explosion of murders here out on Long Island. When you factor in all of these gang murders, it’s extremely concerning.”
MS-13 gang violence fueled by young recruits
A growing concern is the gang’s efforts to recruit new members.
“They’re going into the schools, and they’re recruiting the kids,” Tierney said. “They will try to recruit young gang members, and they will start to try to enforce those rules that we spoke about, you know, at the earliest opportunity with and unfortunately, we see with the MS-13, really the drivers of violence in the gang are their youngest members.”
Tierney said the average age of an MS-13 gang member on Long Island is usually around 12 or 13 when they join the gang.
Members of the criminal gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) are escorted by officers of the National Police in Tegucigalpa on February 19, 2021, after the dismantling of an operations centre of the organisation found in the mountains of the department of Olancho, north of Honduras. (Photo by Orlando SIERRA / AFP) (Photo by ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images) 
A Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member sentenced to more than 200 years in prison shows off his tattoos alluding to his gang inside the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) mega-prison, where hundreds of members of the MS-13 and 18 Street gangs are being held, in Tecoluca, El Salvador on January 27, 2025. The CECOT, the largest prison in Latin America and emblem of the war against gangs of the government of President Nayib Bukele, celebrates two years since it was inaugurated on February 1. (Photo by Marvin RECINOS / AFP) (Photo by MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images) 
DURHAM, NC – JANUARY 23: Cholo, shows off his gang tattoos and MS-13 hand signs on January 23, 2006 in Durham, North Carolina. Using his street name, Cholo, an American-born citizen of Salvadoran heritage, is a member of Mara Salvatrucha-13, the violent street gang formed by refugees of El Salvador who fled the country’s 1980’s – 90’s civil war and settled in Los Angeles, California. He was charged in August, 2005 for assault with a deadly weapon after shooting a rival gang member. Cholo came to Durham, North Carolina with his mother, older brother and sister in the early 1990’s. Cholo is a member of a MS-13 subset called VLS or Venice Locos Salvatrucha. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images) 
DURHAM, NC – JANUARY 23: Snoopy, 20 years, shows off his gang tattoos on January 23, 2006 in Durham, North Carolina. Going by his street name, Snoopy, an American-born citizen of El Salvadoran heritage, is a member of Mara Salvatrucha-13, the violent street gang formed by refugees of El Salvador who fled the country’s 1980’s – 90’s civil war and settled in Los Angeles, California. He joined MS-13 in California when he was 13 years. Snoopy came to Durham, North Carolina with his mother, younger brother and sister looking for work. Snoopy works at a Durham fast food restaurant and is often harassed by police for his gang tattoos. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images) 
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 alleged members of the MS-13 gang, in San Salvador, on March 16. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images) 
Inmates look on as they remain in a cell at the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) mega-prison, where hundreds of members of the MS-13 and 18 Street gangs are being held, in Tecoluca, El Salvador on January 27, 2025. The CECOT, the largest prison in Latin America and emblem of the war against gangs of the government of President Nayib Bukele, celebrates two years since it was inaugurated on February 1. (Photo by Marvin RECINOS / AFP) (Photo by MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images) 
In this handout photo provided by the Salvadoran government, guards escort a newly admitted inmate allegedly linked to criminal organizations inside a cell on March 16 in Tecoluca, El Salvador.
More recently, a 15-year-old boy was kidnapped from a Suffolk County train station and taken to the abandoned Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in Brentwood, where he was beaten, stabbed, and left for dead after a gang assault.
“Seven individuals or so were indicted, and then one individual, he fled from justice here in Suffolk County, and working with our federal partners, we located him, and we’re going to bring him back,” Tierney said.
The younger the recruit, the more extreme the violence. Prosecutors claim MS-13 orders its members to kill in the most brutal ways possible, often to prove their loyalty to the gang.
“They will be completely vicious in their pursuit to try to kill that person, using guns, knives, clubs, whatever it is to eliminate that person,” Tierney said.
Maryland father wrongly deported amid MS-13 allegation
One case making national headlines involves Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man deported last month, who is accused by the Department of Justice of leading a Long Island branch of MS-13. However, officials have stated that his name isn’t in local gang records.
“The footprint of the MS-13 is always larger than those individuals who are actually charged,” Tierney said.
Abrego Garcia’s wife and lawyer say he’s a hard-working father with a clean criminal record.
Officials acknowledge the possibility that Abrego Garcia used a different name or that this could be a case of mistaken identity. The Supreme Court sided with the administration, pausing a judge’s order that Abrego Garcia be returned to the U.S. by midnight.
“The gangs aren’t as open and notorious. They’re more clandestine, and it’s harder for law enforcement to figure out exactly who the memberships are and who they’re affiliating with,” Tierney said.
Can MS-13 be eradicated?
Ultimately, Tierney believes that MS-13 cannot be fully eradicated.
“I don’t think you can ever eradicate MS-13,” he said. “But the hope is to control them and let members know that if you commit a crime… you’re going to be held responsible.”
Born and raised in Suffolk County, it’s a personal battle for Tierney, who now leads the charge to protect his community from one of the world’s most violent gangs.