Transnational Gangs: Prosecution of an MS-13 Gang Member Extradited from Mexico

This article discusses key aspects of the prosecution of Jaime Balam, a member of the transnational criminal organization La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). That prosecution was part of “Operation Devil Horns,” a law enforcement initiative against members of a San Francisco-based MS-13 clique, but focused specifically on Balam’s involvement in a February 2009 shooting in Daly City, California. Because Balam was indicted at the end of Operation Devil Horns and after the trial of two gang members who had been identified and indicted for the February 2009 shooting, it proved necessary to extradite Balam from Mexico. This article reviews that process, with particular emphasis on the mandatory approvals from three separate Criminal Division components: the Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS), the Capital Case Section (CCS), and the Office of International Affairs (OIA).


Author: Andrew M. Scoble, Assistant United States Attorney, Northern District of California

Federal Sponsor Agency: DOJ, Executive Office for United States Attorneys

Provider: This article is sourced from the U.S. Department of Justice, United States Attorney Bulletin: August 2017, Volume 65, Number 5

Publication Date: August 2017

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