October 11, 2017 - 2:51 PM
GREENBELT, Md. - Federal prosecutors say eight young men have been charged for their alleged roles in a violent gang racketeering conspiracy in the Maryland suburbs of the nation's capital.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement Wednesday that the men were named in a superseding indictment returned last month by a federal grand jury. It says the indictment alleges the eight are members or associates of the MS-13 gang with ties to El Salvador and each faces varying charges.
According to the indictment, crimes committed included planning and carrying out killings, extortion of business owners and trafficking in guns, marijuana and cocaine. It added the killings included a slaying last March in Bedford County, Virginia.
Prosecutors say all eight, ranging from 18 to 22 years old, are in custody.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017