Police arrest the leaders of a 'franchise' of the Calle 18 gang in the Barcelona area

The National Police have arrested the three leaders of a Latin gang in Barcelona for crimes of criminal organization, injuries and illicit possession of firearms. Those arrested were allegedly leading a new franchise of a gang called Pandilla Barrio 18 or Calle 18 that emerged in the metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona. In addition, they carried out proselytizing work to recruit new members in Nou Barris (one of the most disadvantaged districts of the capital) and in neighborhoods of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, where they had settled. Their objective was to occupy the space left by another gang from that same gang that was dismantled by the police just a year ago.

The investigation began in October 2023, after the agents confirmed that several residents of Latin American origin were being attacked and receiving threats in different areas of Barcelona. The attackers boasted that they belonged to “La 18”. The investigators pulled the thread and found that the suspects were leading a basketball court either click —a kind of franchise—of the Mara Barrio 18 Gangwho intended to make his way in Barcelona.

The operation to decapitate the incipient group took place on Wednesday. Directed by the 25th investigative court of Barcelona, ​​agents from the General Information Commissariat and the Barcelona Provincial Information Brigade participated in the operation, in addition to the US FBI. During the early hours of the morning, the three leaders of the group were arrested and their homes were searched.

The agents seized a homemade firearm commonly used by these gangs at the home. This type of weapon is usually called Chilean and was located along with the band's symbols and dozens of 12-gauge bullets. The National Police Corps warned, in a press release issued this Sunday, that this type of organizations are hierarchical and with fully defined roles. The police force is within the International Group Against Transactional Organized Crime (GICCOT) and they work in a coordinated manner to end these organizations at a global level.

You can follow EL PAÍS Catalunya in Facebook and xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter