First police coup towards the ‘Mara Barrio 18’ in Spain: 15 gang members arrested who tried to settle in Barcelona


Those arrested are between 18 and 37 years outdated; the bulk are Hondurans, Paraguayans and Spaniards They have been recruiting and indoctrinating minors in academic facilities and youth leisure areas They tried to type a ‘clic’; the leaders have been ‘troopers’ and the brand new ones needed to cross initiation exams such because the ‘bounce’, obtain a beating

They are between the ages of 18 and 37 and are members of the Mara Barrio 18, a splinter of the Mara Salvatrucha, one of the essential Latino gangs internationally. Most of them are Hondurans and Paraguayans, who’ve been residing in Spain for between six and ten years. Although there are additionally Spanish residents among the many fifteen detainees. They supposed to settle in Barcelona.

Agents of the National Police and the Urban Guard of Barcelona have arrested them in Barcelona and in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, for his or her alleged participation in crimes of belonging to a legal group, towards public well being and threats. They had a historical past of threats, thefts and accidents. The operation was carried out by brokers of the General Information Police Station, the Barcelona Provincial Information Brigade and the Barcelona Urban Guard, underneath the route of the Barcelona Examining Court quantity 14.

The investigation started final August when the brokers detected this gang that, to be able to type a ‘clic’ (the minimal organizational construction that the gangs have in every territory underneath their affect and management), have been recruiting and indoctrinating to minors in academic facilities and youth leisure areas. Their goal was to type an iron group with which to manage a territory utilizing violence, to hold out intense legal exercise.

According to the researchers, it might be a hierarchical, structured group, with very outlined roles and a inflexible code of conduct whose non-compliance would result in extreme punishments. Numerous symbols of the gang have been intervened in the home searches, varied bladed weapons, money and pc gear that’s going to be analyzed.

initiation rites and punishments

Among the detainees are the leaders of this gang, a bunch of so-called ‘troopers’. These members already initiated have full rights throughout the group. The so-called ‘paisas’ or aspirants have additionally been detected. These adolescents should cross an initiation ceremony identified amongst these gangs as ‘leaping’, which consists of receiving a beating from the gang members themselves for 18 seconds.

According to their expectations, management of the territory could be carried out by means of the fee of crimes of a special nature, corresponding to threats, accidents, drug trafficking or crimes towards property, amongst others. Once its objective was achieved, it might be to commit unlawful acts to finance itself, corresponding to robberies with violence or drug trafficking and remove different competing gangs within the space.

These gang members have been utilizing social networks to extol the acts carried out by the ‘clic’, proselytize and threaten different rival teams. In addition to the arrests, six home searches and one premises have been carried out, during which quite a few clothes and symbols linked to the Mara Gang Barrio 18, documentation, bladed weapons, money and pc materials have been intervened in a outstanding approach.

Avoid Consolidation

The goal of the police motion has been to anticipate the consolidation of mentioned city youth group and forestall its progress and growth in Barcelona and its environment. This is the primary police operation carried out in Spain towards this organized group and falls throughout the participation of the National Police in a world group of police businesses created to be able to fight the Maras and which incorporates United States businesses. (Joint Task Force Vulcan), El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize.