Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: Seven members of a violent gang received stiff sentences for a range of crimes from drug trafficking to murder. Those are just some of the results of long-term investigations in North Carolina into the La Mara Salvatrucha gang, known as MS-13.

William “Chuck” Hastings: We definitely took a notch out of MS-13.

Halpern: I’m Mollie Halpern of the FBI, and you’re listening to “Gotcha.” The FBI’s Safe Street Gang Task Force from North Carolina used three confidential informants, surveillance, and wire-taps to help with the investigations. Task force member William “Chuck” Hastings…

Hastings: Being able to retrieve that video and audio was instrumental in the whole case.

Halpern: The 2010 case of a gang member known as “Wizard” stands out to Hastings.

Hastings: He shot and killed two innocent brothers.

Halpern: Wizard was the first MS-13 member in the country to receive the death penalty. Another 24 MS-13 members originally charged in the 2008 indictment are now behind bars.