Police have broken up the inner circle of the Latin Kings in Madrid in an operation that saw 54 members of the infamous gang arrested, including its most powerful leaders.
Amongst those arrested are the so-called "Supreme Inca" of the "Sacred Tribe America Spain" (STAS), as the Spanish arm is known, and several more from the top echelons of the gang's heirarchy.
Furthermore, the leaders, or "Incas" of all the "chapters" (basic organisational groups) as well as the regional leaders of the "kingdom" have also been detained.
On February 6th, officers specialising in latin gangs made their first arrests after breaking up a Latin Kings meeting in a park in the capital. On that occasion eight people were arrested and identified as being the suspected perpetrators of a violent robbery and a further 87 were identified as members of the gang.
Two more gang members were arrested the following day for minor crimes and then, on February 14th, as the gang celebrated the tenth anniversary of its establishment in Madrid, the police made 43 further arrests.
A large quantity of Latin Kings paraphernalia was also confiscated, including necklaces to denote rank within the gang, black and gold flags, neckscarves and rings.
A substantial amount of documentation relating to the gang and its organisation was also found and confiscated, as were nine mobile 'phones. On Tuesday evening one more arrest was made, although the police have not ruled out the possibility of more arrests as the investigation progresses.
The Latin Kings are said to be the largest and most organised Hispanic street gang in the USA, dating back to the 1940s in Chicago. Their initial aim was to unite Latinos in a collective struggle against "oppression" and to overcome the problems of racism and prejudice, but they soon lost touch with their roots and grew into one of the largest and most infamous criminal gangs in America. The group's members became involved in crimes including murder, drug trafficking, robberies and other organized criminal activities. Today, there are Latin Kings gangs in the USA, Canada, Latin America, Italy and Spain.
