On April 1, the head of the notorious gang, MS-13, Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, was sentenced to life in prison.
Corea Diaz, 41 acquired the street name, Reaper. In November, Corea Diaz was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit murder in the aid of racketeering, murder in the aid of racketeering, drug dealing conspiracy, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The FBI gradually gained information on the formation of a gang, MS-13. It was originally organized by Salvadorans escaping their country’s civil war. They established themselves on the west coast
Eventually, MS-13 migrated to the west coast, which ensnared Corea Diaz and another gang member to manage Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside Clique. Local businesses were required to pay a “rent” to SLSW Clique.
Another leader of the SLSW is a co-defendant in this case as well.
The gang also trafficked heroin, cocaine, and other drugs. Majority of the profits wwre sent to its head of operations in El Salvador, as claimed by federal prosecution.
Corea Diaz’s attorney, Steve Mercer, agreed to comment publicly.
Upon sentencing Mercer, he petitioned the courts for a “sentence that provides for a realistic opportunity for release.” Mercer strongly suggested Corea Diaz spend no more than 21 years and two months in prison.
Official court documents recorded Corea Diaz “conspired with members and associates of MS-13 to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, including murder, extortion, money laundering, witness tampering, and distribution of controlled substances” from 2010 to October 2017.
“The brutality of Corea Diaz is almost unfathomable,” US Attorney Erek L. Barron detailed in a federal statement.
