Mara Salvatrucha is a violent street gang with a strong presence in California, Maryland, New York, Texas, and Virginia. Original members were refugees from the civil war in El Salvador during the 1980s; many were former soldiers and guerrillas, well trained in weapons and warfare tactics. Current members include second-generation Salvadorans as well as other Hispanics. Mara Salvatrucha members have distributed drugs, primarily marijuana, and have committed aggravated assaults, assaults on law enforcement officials, homicides, home invasions, auto thefts, and black market weapons violations. Gang members sometimes trade marijuana for weapons, particularly handguns. Some of the weapons are retained for personal use and some are smuggled to El Salvador.