DENVER , Colorado ( CNN ) -- Twenty alleged members of a Hispanic gang believed to be one of the nation 's largest and most violent have been indicted in Colorado on drug and firearm charges , authorities said Tuesday . This grafitti in North Denver is the work of the gang MS-13 , the Department of Justice says . Of the 20 alleged MS-13 members named in two indictments , eight were arrested Tuesday morning in Denver and in Los Angeles , California , authorities said . Another eight were already in custody , according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney 's Office for the District of Colorado . Four remain at large , the office said . `` The arrests were the culmination of a three-year investigation into one of the most notorious street gangs in the country , '' the release said . Jeff Dorschner , spokesman for the U.S. attorney 's office , said the indictments stemmed from a multiple-agency and multiple-state effort . Some of the defendants are accused of drug dealing activity that prosecutors said reached all the way into a California prison . In the course of the investigation , police seized 10 pounds of methamphetamine , 2.3 kilograms ( 5 pounds ) of cocaine , a small amount of heroin , 12 firearms and $ 3,300 in cash , according to the release . Police said they believe the gang members `` conspired to distribute , and possessed with intent to distribute , quantities of methamphetamine , cocaine , heroin and marijuana , '' federal prosecutors said . `` The conspiracy , and other related drug distribution charges included the distribution of the illicit drugs on the streets of metro Denver , as well as in a facility in California called the High Desert State Prison . '' Other defendants are charged with illegal firearm possession , authorities said . Nine defendants in addition to the 20 named in federal indictments are being prosecuted in Colorado state court , according to federal prosecutors . The defendants face maximum sentences of life in prison , depending on the offense , as well as fines up to $ 2 million , authorities said in the news release . MS-13 has long been regarded by law enforcement agencies as one of the deadliest gangs in the United States and beyond . It is estimated to have up to 50,000 members worldwide , about 10,000 of whom are believed to be active in at least 38 states , according to an attorney general 's report to Congress on gangs in April 2008 . In 2004 , the FBI created a task force to focus on MS-13 . Federal authorities have said that most MS-13 members are immigrants from El Salvador or the children of Salvadoran immigrants . The gang originated in Los Angeles , authorities have said , and it has spread across the United States and into Mexico , Honduras , Guatemala and El Salvador .
Eight suspected MS-13 gang members arrested in Colorado and California . Another 8 were already in custody ; others remain at large . Some defendants involved in drug rings that reached into a federal prison . MS-13 regarded as one of the nation 's deadliest gangs , with members in 13 states .