Police in El Salvador have arrested gang members and intercepted a load of seven assault rifles being brought into the country from neighboring Guatemala, according to AP. Authorities said Friday that among those arrested was a top leader of the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13 gang, in western El Salvador. Prosecutors believe the gang leader had criminal ties in Guatemala who sold him the weapons. Clashes between authorities and the country's powerful street gangs have increased in recent months. The government is using elite military and police units to pursue gang members who have been chased into rural areas. National Police Commissioner Howard Cotto says since January security forces have been involved in 316 shootouts in which 318 alleged gang members have been killed.
