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The secret behind the MS-13 tattoos revealed

Posted By: Vikas Shekhawat | Jan 23 2006

Mara Salvatrucha - 13 is no doubt a growing threat in the US. 'Mara' is a Spanish slang for 'gang' and "Salvatrucha" is a blend of Salvadoran and trucha. Anyway, we're here to do some tat talk. MS-13 gang members mark their upper body in Gothic. Apart from 'MS - 13' or 'Emese' - short for 'Eme Ese,' the pronunciation of MS in Spanish, that has to be there, they even mark "SUR" for sureno or "southerner", dices, crossbones and daggers.

punch
punch

s
s

They even ink teardrops. Teardrops under their left eye represent a shot or a wounded gang member and those under right eye represent their combat with the rival gangs. The punch (above) of one of the convict shows tattoos of a club and a spade symbol over the 'M' and 'S' to hide his association with MS-13. The whole thing earlier read 'GMSP' across four fingers where 'G' and 'P' stood for his territory Greenspoint. MS - 13 tattoos reveal specialties of gang members; one expert in dealing with explosives had a grenade tattooed on his back. All these markings will haunt them for sure, if they somehow survive and I doubt that.

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