The Civil Guard predicts a “upsurge” of violence between youth gangs in the Community of Madrid during the coming months, as CASO ABIERTO, the investigation and events channel of Prensa Ibérica, has learned. The sources consulted by this medium foresee a “greater number of confrontations” between gang members and expect “more violent attacks”, especially between the two main groups that compete for the neighborhoods in the south and east of the capital and for some Madrid towns: the Dominican Don’t Play (DDP) and the Trinidadians.
“The trend has already confirmed a significant increase in violence by these gangs in Madrid and Barcelona,” police sources explain. One of the reasons to explain this phenomenon is the “proliferation, in large urban centers, of gangs such as the Blood’s or the Black Panther (also called panthers)”, and the emergence of other “small groups” born in the heat of the four historical: Latin King, Ñetas, DDP and Trinidadians.
‘La Familia’, a NATO against DDP
Around these other gangs, more minority, but that have the support or annexation of one of the two big ones, DDP or Trinitarios, researchers have recently detected a phenomenon that “could increase the risk” of more incidents occurring violent: the ‘Trinis’ have been trying for years to unseat the DDP, known as ‘pencos’ and, despite their efforts, it is still the largest band in Madrid. That is why some of their leaders are promoting “unions or pacts” with other related groups, such as the Bloods, solely to fight jointly against the DDPthat is, the Trinitarians use smaller gangs to try to impose themselves.
“It’s kind of like NATO between youth gangs, but with a single common mission: to wage war on the DDP from the idea that Union make force“, a researcher explains to OPEN CASE. This association between gang members is new in Madrid, but not in Catalonia. In fact, ‘La Familia’, as they call themselves, was born there to finish them off Latin King.
From Barcelona to Madrid
In Barcelona, Trinitarios, Bloods, Pantera, Forty Two and Barrio 18 (the latter considered a Spanish split, less bloody, of the band of Salvadoran origin the Mara Salvatrucha) came together years ago to stop what they then considered their common enemies.
Currently “‘La Familia’ is weakened in the Catalan capital, but the leaders of some groups are studying the possibility of extrapolate this union to Madrid to attack the DDP“, warn the same sources. However, in the Madrid community, ‘la Familia’ “is not completely united nor is it so numerous”: in fact, currently “there is no evidence that Barrio 18 exists in Madrid, so there is no I would be part of that bloc.”
dirty blood and clean blood
On the other hand, the rise of splits within the Bloods after the Civil Guard arrested thirteen of its members in October, including the leaders of the gang at the national level, within the framework of the ‘Laya operation’has triggered the internal tension and has modified the organization of the band.
“After running out of the supreme (the leader), they have created two factions of Bloods who do not recognize or accept each other, have different hierarchies, report to different bosses and the members of the oldest group consider those of the other ‘dirty blood‘”. The Civil Guard fears that this division could end up with a open confrontation between gang members of the same gang.
Younger and more radical
The researchers are also detecting “faster and sustained growth over time” in the number of young people joining gangs. In addition, the profile of the gang member has been substantially modified, now it is “younger and more radicalized”: there are no official figures, but in recent months, “around half of the members arrested for committing criminal acts using machetes, screwdrivers, hammers and other bladed weapons are minors or have just turned eighteen”.
This week, the National Police has arrested seven Trinidadians for the murder, on April 27 in Villaverde (Madrid), of an 18-year-old member of the Dominican Don’t PlayThey are all minors.
bloody and indiscriminate
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The presence of “inexperienced” gang members in the ranks of all youth gangs “more bloody and indiscriminate attacks”. These are “kids who are attracted by the idea of belonging to a group, the protection that the gang gives them and the opportunities to access alcohol, other drugs and sex with girls related to the group”, that is, “they do not have the same motivations as the supreme of the band, they do not even respect their own codes and this makes their criminal actions are more unpredictable“. In short, they tend to carry out attacks using greater and more gratuitous violence.
The Government delegate in the Community of Madrid, Mercedes González, already warned in February that they had been detecting, since the end of last year, a “criminal escalation between violent gangs” and launched a special plan to fight them. This Wednesday, González reported on the fruits that the operation has already borne. Since February 10, the State Security Forces and Bodies have arrested 438 gang members, identified 45,406 and seized 298 weapons.