The 18th Street Gang, also known as Barrio 18, is one of the largest youth gangs in the Western Hemisphere, alongside its better-known rival, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13). Active from Central America to Canada, the group has been weakened in El Salvador by President Nayib Bukele’s security crackdown since March 2022. This week, the gang made headlines in Guatemala after authorities approved Decree 11-2025, known as the Anti-Gang Law, which designated Barrio 18 as a transnational organized crime and terrorist group. Police also recaptured Nicolás Xantes Sis, alias “El Brown,” leader of the “Vatos Locos” faction who had escaped from the Fraijanes II prison on October 12.
