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Operation Devil Horns Lib/E: The Takedown of Ms-13 in San Francisco
In a bid to take down MS-13's criminal network in the Mission District of San Francisco, Michael Santini, a special agent with Homeland Securities Investigation, recruits a pair of hardened gang members and convinces them to risk their lives as criminal informants. Set in a city with one of the strictest sanctuary policies protecting illegal immigrants in America, Operation Devil Horns illustrates how politically correct ideology impacts life-or-death crime fighting on the streets.
Through the informants' eyes, Operation Devil Horns offers a rare glimpse into the pervasive criminal subculture of MS-13, a gang of Spanish-speaking immigrants that still terrorizes pockets of American society today - including their own compatriots. The case begins with a focus on the gang in San Francisco, eventually widening to include a network that reaches across borders. Santini tracks down the gang's leadership from the Bay Area to the prison cells of corrupt Central American regimes. Eventually, it takes the cold-blooded murder of three family members in San Francisco to shake the American public out of complacency and focus sober attention on a growing and violent threat.
This is the story of a dedicated team of special agents and federal prosecutors -- in partnership with a few local cops who defy their chain of command -- who overcome political and legal challenges to take down more than two dozen violent criminal targets. It is the true story of will and determination for justice over passive acceptance of wanton violence, a case of victorious commitment to public safety over misguided political correctness.
Through the informants' eyes, Operation Devil Horns offers a rare glimpse into the pervasive criminal subculture of MS-13, a gang of Spanish-speaking immigrants that still terrorizes pockets of American society today - including their own compatriots. The case begins with a focus on the gang in San Francisco, eventually widening to include a network that reaches across borders. Santini tracks down the gang's leadership from the Bay Area to the prison cells of corrupt Central American regimes. Eventually, it takes the cold-blooded murder of three family members in San Francisco to shake the American public out of complacency and focus sober attention on a growing and violent threat.
This is the story of a dedicated team of special agents and federal prosecutors -- in partnership with a few local cops who defy their chain of command -- who overcome political and legal challenges to take down more than two dozen violent criminal targets. It is the true story of will and determination for justice over passive acceptance of wanton violence, a case of victorious commitment to public safety over misguided political correctness.
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First published October 9, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 23, 2018
Excellent read! Fast moving, exciting, really grabs you from the start. I couldn't put it down! One of the best books in this genre that I have read. The true story of taking down at MS-13 gang in San Francisco. Kudos to the author for his fantastic work ridding the streets of this clique. I only hope that there are other similar operations occurring now to rid the country of the MS-13 (and other gangs) scourge!
May 29, 2024
It was a really well written and interesting book with coverage of how RICO cases work and just how much work is really put into them. It simply was not my cup of tea with some slight portions of the book where, coming from an arguably more “liberal” as they called it in the book, position it was a bit questionable. Overall I did like the way it was informative but just not the boring play by play of every single detail in busting heavy gang involvement.
October 12, 2018
A true crime memoir that reads like a thriller! The takedown of the notorious street gang, MS-13, is described in Operation Devil Horns.
“A special agent is never—ever—off duty.”
MS-13 expanded from El Salvador throughout Central America to Los Angeles and finally San Francisco’s Mission District. Local cops were unable to stop the gang's crime and violence. The city’s sanctuary status ties their hands. Sanctuary cities vow not to deport illegal aliens or help the federal government to do so, which takes away a significant law enforcement tool. The San Francisco Police Department was unable to deport illegals to break up the gang. Enter the feds.
Santini, a federal special agent, finds two gang members, Diego and Casper, to report on the gang’s activities. By threatening them with deportation and offering the carrot of legality and witness protection, he was able to turn two hardcore gang bangers into rats. His goal was to use the federal RICO statute, already used to break up mafia families, against the 20th Street MS-13 gang.
Operation Devil Horns is a superb book. It is perfect for true crime and mafia fans. However, it is also highly recommended for thriller readers. I loved getting a behind the scenes story about how gangs work and how law enforcement brings them down. 5 stars!
Thanks to the publisher, Rowman & Littlefield, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
“A special agent is never—ever—off duty.”
MS-13 expanded from El Salvador throughout Central America to Los Angeles and finally San Francisco’s Mission District. Local cops were unable to stop the gang's crime and violence. The city’s sanctuary status ties their hands. Sanctuary cities vow not to deport illegal aliens or help the federal government to do so, which takes away a significant law enforcement tool. The San Francisco Police Department was unable to deport illegals to break up the gang. Enter the feds.
Santini, a federal special agent, finds two gang members, Diego and Casper, to report on the gang’s activities. By threatening them with deportation and offering the carrot of legality and witness protection, he was able to turn two hardcore gang bangers into rats. His goal was to use the federal RICO statute, already used to break up mafia families, against the 20th Street MS-13 gang.
Operation Devil Horns is a superb book. It is perfect for true crime and mafia fans. However, it is also highly recommended for thriller readers. I loved getting a behind the scenes story about how gangs work and how law enforcement brings them down. 5 stars!
Thanks to the publisher, Rowman & Littlefield, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 26, 2019
Santini's account of a years-long HSI investigation into MS-13 in San Francisco is highly engaging. Anybody interested in life as a Special Agent in any US agency will find this book interesting.
Operation Devil Horns suffers from several flaws, some not uncommon for books written by former law enforcement or military personnel. The first flaw is that Santini is quick to portray every other agency or organization that he works with as overly bureaucratic or, to some degree, incompetent. This includes the FBI, SFPD, DHS Headquarters, San Francisco's city government, California's state government, and others. If only the barriers these organizations posed were removed Santini could more effectively and efficiently carry out his investigation and lock up MS-13's members.
This tendency to highlight the flaws of other organizations reveals the author's own weaknesses as an investigator. While Santini seems effective at breaking down some barriers through his own relentlessness, particularly with SFPD, at other times, such as with the FBI, he seems unwilling or unable to set his emotions aside and act professionally when other individuals act in an unprofessional way. We also wonder what mistakes Santini made over the course of his investigation. No investigator is perfect, and acknowledging one's mistakes is an important part of developing professional skills. Two big mistakes that Santini could have reflected more on were the decision to set up a fake shop for buying stolen cars, which was quickly recognized as fake by MS-13, and the failure to fully debrief his primary informant, jeopardizing his case when the informant's previous crimes came to light during the trial of the MS-13 members.
Santini unfortunately brings his political views into the narrative, rather than let the objective facts of the story highlight the downsides of certain political policy choices. Santini seems unable to acknowledge and challenge the perceived benefits of San Francisco not cooperating with immigration authorities in many, perhaps most, circumstances. This policy could have been used to Santini's benefit if it had been used as a basis for SFPD to build up trust in at-risk neighborhoods to get tips on his case. Also, it should have freed up SFPD to focus on violent crime, rather than waste time tracking down minor offenses. While San Francisco's sanctuary city policy may be flawed, Santini does not recognize that a harsher policy poses its own risks. Instead, what is needed is better implementation of the policies that are in place, and better education of policymakers and voters regarding trade-offs. That Santini does not recognize this and does not seem to take an active part in being part of the solution, with respect to the wishes of local political preferences, highlights his own investigative weaknesses.
With this book being an easy, quick read, it would have been interesting to read more about the technical aspects of building and prosecuting a RICO case. Santini barely mentions his engagement with the AUSAs and leaves out altogether the important process of trial prep. Anybody familiar with federal law enforcement should also recognize that there are several investigative techniques that were likely used or considered that Santini does not talk about. He also could have gone into more detail about how other agencies, such as the FBI and DEA, were able to help his case. It would also have been interesting to read about the history of MS-13 in the US and more about how the gang's leaders in Central America influence local gangs in San Francisco. Santini could have left out his political feelings and some detail about his personal role in the case to cover these details.
Adding more technical details regarding investigative methods and interagency cooperation, leaving his emotional take on local politics out of the story would have made this book much better. Despite demonstrations of humility, Santini does not come across as humble and I was left with the impression that he actually made the case harder on himself. For all Santini's political asides, he offers no solutions to the challenge of policing immigrant communities. After all, statistics demonstrate the illegal immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than American citizens. Focusing law enforcement resources on deporting illegal immigrants means that an opportunity is lost to focus law enforcement resources on a group more likely to commit violent crimes, American citizens. Santini does effectively show how immigration law and deportation can be used to take violent criminals off the street, but this should not be a substitute or a shortcut for good investigative work that puts people in prison for their crimes. Santini's counterparts investigating American citizens ostensibly know how to apply the law to violent criminals who are in the country legally. It is unfortunate that Santini does not seem to recognize how much he has to learn from them.
Operation Devil Horns suffers from several flaws, some not uncommon for books written by former law enforcement or military personnel. The first flaw is that Santini is quick to portray every other agency or organization that he works with as overly bureaucratic or, to some degree, incompetent. This includes the FBI, SFPD, DHS Headquarters, San Francisco's city government, California's state government, and others. If only the barriers these organizations posed were removed Santini could more effectively and efficiently carry out his investigation and lock up MS-13's members.
This tendency to highlight the flaws of other organizations reveals the author's own weaknesses as an investigator. While Santini seems effective at breaking down some barriers through his own relentlessness, particularly with SFPD, at other times, such as with the FBI, he seems unwilling or unable to set his emotions aside and act professionally when other individuals act in an unprofessional way. We also wonder what mistakes Santini made over the course of his investigation. No investigator is perfect, and acknowledging one's mistakes is an important part of developing professional skills. Two big mistakes that Santini could have reflected more on were the decision to set up a fake shop for buying stolen cars, which was quickly recognized as fake by MS-13, and the failure to fully debrief his primary informant, jeopardizing his case when the informant's previous crimes came to light during the trial of the MS-13 members.
Santini unfortunately brings his political views into the narrative, rather than let the objective facts of the story highlight the downsides of certain political policy choices. Santini seems unable to acknowledge and challenge the perceived benefits of San Francisco not cooperating with immigration authorities in many, perhaps most, circumstances. This policy could have been used to Santini's benefit if it had been used as a basis for SFPD to build up trust in at-risk neighborhoods to get tips on his case. Also, it should have freed up SFPD to focus on violent crime, rather than waste time tracking down minor offenses. While San Francisco's sanctuary city policy may be flawed, Santini does not recognize that a harsher policy poses its own risks. Instead, what is needed is better implementation of the policies that are in place, and better education of policymakers and voters regarding trade-offs. That Santini does not recognize this and does not seem to take an active part in being part of the solution, with respect to the wishes of local political preferences, highlights his own investigative weaknesses.
With this book being an easy, quick read, it would have been interesting to read more about the technical aspects of building and prosecuting a RICO case. Santini barely mentions his engagement with the AUSAs and leaves out altogether the important process of trial prep. Anybody familiar with federal law enforcement should also recognize that there are several investigative techniques that were likely used or considered that Santini does not talk about. He also could have gone into more detail about how other agencies, such as the FBI and DEA, were able to help his case. It would also have been interesting to read about the history of MS-13 in the US and more about how the gang's leaders in Central America influence local gangs in San Francisco. Santini could have left out his political feelings and some detail about his personal role in the case to cover these details.
Adding more technical details regarding investigative methods and interagency cooperation, leaving his emotional take on local politics out of the story would have made this book much better. Despite demonstrations of humility, Santini does not come across as humble and I was left with the impression that he actually made the case harder on himself. For all Santini's political asides, he offers no solutions to the challenge of policing immigrant communities. After all, statistics demonstrate the illegal immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than American citizens. Focusing law enforcement resources on deporting illegal immigrants means that an opportunity is lost to focus law enforcement resources on a group more likely to commit violent crimes, American citizens. Santini does effectively show how immigration law and deportation can be used to take violent criminals off the street, but this should not be a substitute or a shortcut for good investigative work that puts people in prison for their crimes. Santini's counterparts investigating American citizens ostensibly know how to apply the law to violent criminals who are in the country legally. It is unfortunate that Santini does not seem to recognize how much he has to learn from them.
March 23, 2023
MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, is a well-known criminal entity that originated in California. The gang was formed in the 1970s and 1980s as a way to protect immigrants from Salvador. A lot of these immigrants came into the United States without proper documentation, and claimed asylum because of the civil war going on in their home country. Unfortunately, a lot of those claims went without acceptance, and, as a result, they faced a lot of racial discrimination from both the legal immigrants and the residents of the country. Over the years, gang members have evolved from a protection unit to a mainstream criminal organization. Deportation is common for members who are arrested for crimes, resulting in the spread of the gang to other countries. In fact, the gang is found all over the United States, Mexico, Central America, and Canada.
To become a member of MS-13, you are beaten for thirteen seconds by several people. Nearly all of the new members are minors, which is sad enough, but a lot of those are pressured into joining. A lot of the time, they are simply afraid to say no out of fear for their families. There have been several cases where entire families were executed in very violent ways because of something the gang did not like. This gang is extremely violent. They are known for vicious attacks on people for any number of reasons, especially those in rival gangs. They are also known for both femicide and infanticide, killing women and children of any age for whatever reason. This book touches on a lot of that brutality, but I did some supplemental internet research and it was staggering. I have a few other books on this topic in my wish list, and am looking forward to learning more about this.
This particular book focuses on Operation Devil Horns, a criminal investigation into MS-13 that lasted four years. This operation used two gang members, Edwin Ramos and Roberto Acosta, as inside informants to find out information about murders and other activities. The objective was to use RICO statues to dismantle the gang. While that was not successful in the long term, they were able to make over two dozen arrests. These two informants provided a deep look into the structure of the gang and the members, which helped law enforcement. Insider and personal accounts are always important to the historical narrative, but also to those of us who are just curious about things we do not know about.
This book is currently available on Audible Plus for those who are interested, but the physical copy is less than 300 pages. To be such a short book, it was packed with information about this gang. I am aware that there has been graffiti in my city that is attributed to MS-13, but I did not know a lot about the gang before reading this book. If you are looking to learn more information about MS-13, this is a good starting point. People become involved in gang activity for many different reasons, and it would be great if we could find ways to combat that without shouting from the rooftops that people from other countries should not be allowed into the United States, as though this country wasn't overtaken by Europeans to begin with. It's a two sided case in which the bad gets more publicity than the good, resulting in the negative impression of a certain demographic of people as a whole...and also just letting everyone know how some people feel about anyone who is not white. The whole situation is unfortunate for a lot of reasons. As far as this book goes, it was very informative about MS-13 and this operation to take them down.
To become a member of MS-13, you are beaten for thirteen seconds by several people. Nearly all of the new members are minors, which is sad enough, but a lot of those are pressured into joining. A lot of the time, they are simply afraid to say no out of fear for their families. There have been several cases where entire families were executed in very violent ways because of something the gang did not like. This gang is extremely violent. They are known for vicious attacks on people for any number of reasons, especially those in rival gangs. They are also known for both femicide and infanticide, killing women and children of any age for whatever reason. This book touches on a lot of that brutality, but I did some supplemental internet research and it was staggering. I have a few other books on this topic in my wish list, and am looking forward to learning more about this.
This particular book focuses on Operation Devil Horns, a criminal investigation into MS-13 that lasted four years. This operation used two gang members, Edwin Ramos and Roberto Acosta, as inside informants to find out information about murders and other activities. The objective was to use RICO statues to dismantle the gang. While that was not successful in the long term, they were able to make over two dozen arrests. These two informants provided a deep look into the structure of the gang and the members, which helped law enforcement. Insider and personal accounts are always important to the historical narrative, but also to those of us who are just curious about things we do not know about.
This book is currently available on Audible Plus for those who are interested, but the physical copy is less than 300 pages. To be such a short book, it was packed with information about this gang. I am aware that there has been graffiti in my city that is attributed to MS-13, but I did not know a lot about the gang before reading this book. If you are looking to learn more information about MS-13, this is a good starting point. People become involved in gang activity for many different reasons, and it would be great if we could find ways to combat that without shouting from the rooftops that people from other countries should not be allowed into the United States, as though this country wasn't overtaken by Europeans to begin with. It's a two sided case in which the bad gets more publicity than the good, resulting in the negative impression of a certain demographic of people as a whole...and also just letting everyone know how some people feel about anyone who is not white. The whole situation is unfortunate for a lot of reasons. As far as this book goes, it was very informative about MS-13 and this operation to take them down.
September 14, 2024
It is my interest in true crime and especially infiltration stories that led me to read this inside account of the takedown of MS-13 in San Francisco—"one of the largest federal takedowns of a criminal gang in U.S. history". Special Agent Michael Santini, a special agent with Homeland Securities Investigation (HSI), recruited a pair of gang members as criminal informants.
There is contemporary, political relevance I didn't expect. SF is a "sanctuary city" providing apparent protections to undocumented immigrant gangbangers. Apparently this "City and County of Refuge" Ordinance (not "sanctuary"), also known as the Sanctuary Ordinance, prohibits city employees from using city resources to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in immigration enforcement. The ordinance was passed in 1989 and is based on the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s. One reported hope is that witness to and victims of crime can give details to city cops with risk of being deported. So, city cops can't talk to federal ones about immigration status. I supposed like not being able to torture suspects (I am sure that never happens), feds fighting crime need to work around restriction. This can be seen as showing how "politically correct ideology" impacts life-or-death crime fighting on the streets due to the unfortunate death of members of the Bologna family.
By 2008, investigators began targeting key players in the 20th Street clica. The arrest of Marvin “Cyco” Carcamo and Angel “Peloncito” Guevara created a power vacuum within the gang. Cyco was a known leader of the clica, and the latter was a feared hitman with at least three murders to his name. A gang war erupted between the 20th Street gang and the Nortenos, bystanders Ernad Joldic and Philip Ng were gunned down mistaken for Nortenos. The gunmen, Erick “Spooky” Lopez and Edwin “Popeye” Ramos were booked on felony weapons charges. Ramos was later released by the office of then-San Francisco district attorney Kamala Harris, which purportedly found “no evidence” that he knew his Lopez was armed. On June 22nd, three members of the Bologna family were ambushed in a drive-by shooting in the Excelsior district. Anthony, Michael, and Matthew were killed instantly, and Andrew was critically injured. Once more, the victims were the mistaken target of an MS-13 hit on Nortenos. The gunman — Edwin “Popeye” Ramos — was arrested three days later. San Francisco’s sanctuary city policy was immediately brought into the spotlight after it was revealed that Edwin Ramos was an illegal resident from El Salvador with multiple felonies — as was his fellow gangbanger, “Spooky” Lopez, who was from Guatemala. The fact that he had been released without charge by District Attorney Kamala Harris’ office garnered more outrage. On July 22nd, “Tony” Bologna’s wife, Danielle, took her family’s grief to the air with FOX News' Megyn Kelly.
Some more detailed review of the operation and fallout.
There is contemporary, political relevance I didn't expect. SF is a "sanctuary city" providing apparent protections to undocumented immigrant gangbangers. Apparently this "City and County of Refuge" Ordinance (not "sanctuary"), also known as the Sanctuary Ordinance, prohibits city employees from using city resources to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in immigration enforcement. The ordinance was passed in 1989 and is based on the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s. One reported hope is that witness to and victims of crime can give details to city cops with risk of being deported. So, city cops can't talk to federal ones about immigration status. I supposed like not being able to torture suspects (I am sure that never happens), feds fighting crime need to work around restriction. This can be seen as showing how "politically correct ideology" impacts life-or-death crime fighting on the streets due to the unfortunate death of members of the Bologna family.
By 2008, investigators began targeting key players in the 20th Street clica. The arrest of Marvin “Cyco” Carcamo and Angel “Peloncito” Guevara created a power vacuum within the gang. Cyco was a known leader of the clica, and the latter was a feared hitman with at least three murders to his name. A gang war erupted between the 20th Street gang and the Nortenos, bystanders Ernad Joldic and Philip Ng were gunned down mistaken for Nortenos. The gunmen, Erick “Spooky” Lopez and Edwin “Popeye” Ramos were booked on felony weapons charges. Ramos was later released by the office of then-San Francisco district attorney Kamala Harris, which purportedly found “no evidence” that he knew his Lopez was armed. On June 22nd, three members of the Bologna family were ambushed in a drive-by shooting in the Excelsior district. Anthony, Michael, and Matthew were killed instantly, and Andrew was critically injured. Once more, the victims were the mistaken target of an MS-13 hit on Nortenos. The gunman — Edwin “Popeye” Ramos — was arrested three days later. San Francisco’s sanctuary city policy was immediately brought into the spotlight after it was revealed that Edwin Ramos was an illegal resident from El Salvador with multiple felonies — as was his fellow gangbanger, “Spooky” Lopez, who was from Guatemala. The fact that he had been released without charge by District Attorney Kamala Harris’ office garnered more outrage. On July 22nd, “Tony” Bologna’s wife, Danielle, took her family’s grief to the air with FOX News' Megyn Kelly.
Some more detailed review of the operation and fallout.
September 9, 2019
This was a real page-turner. I finished the book in less than 24 hours. But while it was a page-turner, it has some drawbacks that knocks a couple stars off.
First, the tone of the author overall occasionally rubbed me the wrong way. Frankly, it was a bit self-righteous. Writing about oneself in the third person makes sense in a situation like that, but doesn't make it less awkward for the reader. I found myself forgetting that the author was in fact also the main character. This was especially true when he was so complimentary to the agent. A little more modesty would have gone a long way.
Second, and relatedly, the author clearly had a number of axes to grind, and came across as biased--against the FBI, against Gavin Newsom, against Kamala Harris, and against the SFPD generally speaking. This isn't super surprising given he was part of the Homeland Security Investigation team operating in the country's most liberal, left-wing city, but still, it colored the book negatively for me. He could have delivered the same points with less obvious bitterness towards them.
Those downsides being said, this is an insane story about an agent and a larger team that took down dozens of gang-bangers and drug dealers in the Mission, right around where I live. It was wild to read the book the day after I had gone out along Valencia Street, given that so much of what happens happens right around where we'd gone. The Mission has cleaned up quite a bit since the story took place (around 2007-08), which is good for residents and bad for the members of MS-13 and other gangs that are covered in this story. I had never heard of the horrific Bologna murders, in which almost an entire family was randomly gunned down in cold blood in broad daylight (https://www.modernluxury.com/san-fran...), but having read more about them, it's easier for me to understand the author's position on San Francisco's sanctuary city policy, which helped lead to the release of the man who killed the family (he had been released after having been with another guy who murdered two others).
I bought my copy of the book at The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/l...). While there, I took the photo that-as of September 2019-is my photo on Goodreads. The book was recommended to me by another guy in my SF Community Police Academy in the summer of 2019.
First, the tone of the author overall occasionally rubbed me the wrong way. Frankly, it was a bit self-righteous. Writing about oneself in the third person makes sense in a situation like that, but doesn't make it less awkward for the reader. I found myself forgetting that the author was in fact also the main character. This was especially true when he was so complimentary to the agent. A little more modesty would have gone a long way.
Second, and relatedly, the author clearly had a number of axes to grind, and came across as biased--against the FBI, against Gavin Newsom, against Kamala Harris, and against the SFPD generally speaking. This isn't super surprising given he was part of the Homeland Security Investigation team operating in the country's most liberal, left-wing city, but still, it colored the book negatively for me. He could have delivered the same points with less obvious bitterness towards them.
Those downsides being said, this is an insane story about an agent and a larger team that took down dozens of gang-bangers and drug dealers in the Mission, right around where I live. It was wild to read the book the day after I had gone out along Valencia Street, given that so much of what happens happens right around where we'd gone. The Mission has cleaned up quite a bit since the story took place (around 2007-08), which is good for residents and bad for the members of MS-13 and other gangs that are covered in this story. I had never heard of the horrific Bologna murders, in which almost an entire family was randomly gunned down in cold blood in broad daylight (https://www.modernluxury.com/san-fran...), but having read more about them, it's easier for me to understand the author's position on San Francisco's sanctuary city policy, which helped lead to the release of the man who killed the family (he had been released after having been with another guy who murdered two others).
I bought my copy of the book at The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/l...). While there, I took the photo that-as of September 2019-is my photo on Goodreads. The book was recommended to me by another guy in my SF Community Police Academy in the summer of 2019.
June 17, 2019
This was an interesting book about a special agent and his work on taking down the gang MS-13 in San Francisco. This gang came up from El Salvador and settle in Los Angeles first just as a group of kids displaced from all of the violence from that country. They ten formed on the streets of Los Angeles and started taking over other local gang territories. They were extremely violent and when arrested that violence transferred into the jails and prisons in California, not talked about in the book. It would be a few years later that there was information about them. Now sadly they are everywhere in the United States. Yes, this is a very good story about this man and his team turning two members into snitches with the threat of sending them back to El Salvador and death. Not saying either is right or wrong just saying. The author takes you through the journey and there even is a story of our now Governor of California, who was then Mayor of San Francisco shaking hands with one of their leaders. Now we have Senators and congressmen and women who do not want to deport criminals and sadly some, not all are gang members. Though I liked this book and I think people should read it the gang itself is still around. Having been in law enforcement for over 30 years I still see their tattoos around. Are they still gone from San Francisco I don’t think so but I hope? A good book that shows what goes into taking down a gang. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
August 24, 2018
Operation Devil Horns is a truly exceptional, well-written book on a very chilling subject. From the first page onward, the author brings you right into the life of MS-13 members, taking you through all the terrifying, if not heartbreaking, day-to-day events while keeping you on the edge of your seat with terrific storytelling. Much like a fictional psychological thriller, Operation Devil Horns keeps you invested in the main characters and the twists and turns involved with infiltrating and taking down a gang clique from the inside. Santini and Bolger did a spectacular job portraying the intricacies of gang life and the complexities and social pressure of being a gang member. I found this book to be fast-paced and suspenseful as well as pensive and purposeful. A very worthwhile, informative, and thought provoking read
May 14, 2024
Overall, it was a good book but I didn't like the writing style much, or when the writer went into descriptions that they didn't need to. The book was pretty competent, but there were a few parts that could have been handled better.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
October 16, 2018
Great read. Great insight into the behind the scenes world of gang violence and law enforcement.
August 22, 2019
What a read! Gripping and Suspenseful!
September 2, 2024
Growing up in SF’s Mission District
It was a great book, it kept me wanting to read more. I grew up in the Mission District during the time of the operation and it was eye opening seeing what was happening behind the scenes of all the chaos, the murders, the violence and then the seemingly quiet disappearance of MS13 on 20th street. I do have a new found appreciation for Law Enforcement, and seeing the work they do to keep the streets safe. Definitely a good read.
It was a great book, it kept me wanting to read more. I grew up in the Mission District during the time of the operation and it was eye opening seeing what was happening behind the scenes of all the chaos, the murders, the violence and then the seemingly quiet disappearance of MS13 on 20th street. I do have a new found appreciation for Law Enforcement, and seeing the work they do to keep the streets safe. Definitely a good read.
October 22, 2018
If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. Great and outstanding look at the MS-13 gang, their mentality of their members, etc. But, what stood out to me was the determination of one law enfocement agency who put petty agency jealousies aside and took on bringing this gang down. I commend the informants that worked with these agencies. What a book. This book grabs you and does not let go. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews