The FBI is investigating criminal ties between members of the international street gang Mara Salvatrucha and fencing rings operated by Middle Easterners suspected of trafficking in millions of dollars in stolen medicine and other retail goods.
The gang members are allegedly directing commercial theft crews that steal large quantities of over-the-counter medications and other goods from chain stores and turn the merchandize over to individuals from the Middle East, many of them U.S. citizens or legal residents. They resell the goods to independent grocers, convenience stores and other outlets.
Investigators are trying to determine how members of the Latino gang, also known as MS-13, became involved with the fences. In some instances, the Middle Easterners allegedly directed the theft crews with maps and addresses, records show.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III has said fencing operations working with similar rings are suspected of providing support to terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Investigators have not connected terror groups to money from MS-13, said FBI Special Supervisory Agent Stephen Kodak.
But FBI officials said they are continuing to trace illicit profits. "We are looking at every aspect of the Middle Eastern criminal enterprises and MS-13's involvement," said Robert Clifford, director of a nationwide task force targeting the gang.
Organized retail theft is a growing criminal problem. Fast-moving crews sweep through stores such as Walgreens, CVS, Target and Wal-Mart during business hours. The thieves surreptitiously fill boxes and bags and often dash out to waiting cars.
Losses are estimated by the FBI and the National Retail Federation to be as high as $30 billion a year.
MS-13's ties to the shoplifting rings signal the growing sophistication of some members and a willingness to collaborate with other criminal enterprises to generate cash, officials said.
Det. Dan Frazee of the Harris County Sheriff's Department in Houston said investigators there have gathered information that theft crews are funneling money back to MS-13 members. "It's not just fly-by-night," he said. "It's sophisticated. It's organized."
Investigators suspect part of the profit has been sent to Central America, where the gang has become a destabilizing force.
In the United States, the gang operates in 34 states and the District of Columbia and has become a top priority of federal law enforcement authorities.
