(CNN) — A nationwide sweep by federal agents targeting the violent MS-13 street gang has resulted in hundreds of arrests, including 263 gang members, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Friday.
Luis Ventura Guzman, 19, was arrested in Petersburg, on first degree murder charges and illegal re-entry of a removed alien, according to ICE.
Among those arrested in the July and early August sweep were suspects wanted on murder, assault, sexual assault, robbery and kidnapping charges, among other offenses, ICE said in a statement.
Among those charged are 158 members and associates of MS-13, including four of its leaders.
Agency officials describe MS-13 as “one of the most dangerous transnational criminal gangs in the world today.”
According to the FBI, the “exceedingly violent” gang operates in 42 states. Its largely independent chapters include up to 10,000 Central and South American immigrants who engage in a variety of criminal activities, including drug trafficking, murder, rape, robbery and other crimes, according to the agency.
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