SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal grand jury in Northern California has indicted 12 men suspected of being members of the MS-13 gang on murder, extortion, arson, drug trafficking and racketeering charges.
It’s the latest development in a case that created a rift between federal and local officials over Santa Cruz’s sanctuary city policy.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California says the men lived in Santa Cruz and their victims included immigrants from El Salvador living in the area.
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The men allegedly belong to a branch of MS-13 known as Santa Cruz Salvatrucha Locos 13. They were indicted Thursday in San Jose.
Federal and local officials arrested them in February 2017 as part of a five-year investigation. Local officials later said they were duped into helping make immigration arrests, violating city laws.
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