Los Casuals, the most violent faction of the Boixos Nois, which has mutated from hooliganism into a branch of crime, extorted nightlife owners to hire them as nightclub security guards. In this way, the organization intended to open new lines of business that billed through various companies that were used to launder money from other activities such as drug trafficking. This is how it appears in a report by the Mossos d'Esquadra that is part of the abundant judicial case to which La Vanguardia has had access and that remains open against this group for homicide, kidnapping, drug trafficking, threats, injuries, extortion, public disorder in the field of sport and criminal organization.
In recent weeks, both the Mossos d'Esquadra and the National Police have deployed several operations that have resulted in the arrest of 46 people linked to the Casuals, in what has been a severe blow against the organization that had reemerged after its dismantling in 2009 with the release from prison of its leader, Ricardo Mateo –nicknamed the Kaiser – the only one the police have not yet located.
In the case of nightlife, the Mossos point out that the Casuals wanted to take over the security functions of some discos and tried to do so by intimidating and causing altercations and violent actions in the premises. The commission of these acts spreads by word of mouth among the nightlife sector, creating a "subjective intimidation" that causes the owner to give up and end up hiring these people to avoid serious problems that harm billing in the future, point out the Mossos.
The first major incident took place on October 4, 2022. Around two in the morning, a group of at least 40 people showed up in the vicinity of the Shoko nightclub in Barcelona. "They were dressed in black and covered their faces with a ski mask." The Mossos appeared in the area and the members of the group fled except for three of them, who were arrested. Prohibited weapons were seized: brass knuckles, razors and knives.
Another similar incident took place at the Pachá nightclub in Barcelona on November 14. A group of between seven and eight boixos nois confronted the local customers. In May there was an incident in La Daurada de Vilanova i la Geltrú; and on August 1 and 8, at Pachito in Sitges and at the White Sisha Lounge in Barcelona.
The violent actions of pressure against the owner of the premises were carried out, according to the police, by the young members of the Boixos Nois, known as "cubs", "little ones" or "minis", although the ones who ended up working in the security of the premises are the older members of the Casuals. The Boixos continue to exist despite the fact that they are banned from entering the Camp Nou, but it helps the Casuals recruit new members. Meetings are organized under the pretext of Barça matches, and once recruited they engage in other extortion activities, drug trafficking or even crimes.
The instructions given by the Boixos to their new members is that they must go to the gym and take anabolics. They have to carry out urban guerrilla rehearsals, not talk at the police station in case of being arrested and not talk at all on the phone. In addition, they specify that they will not ask for envelopes as a result of extortion or beatings will be given without first consulting with superiors. In one of the messages to the Casuals, one of the young members congratulated Paco, el Gordo, the leader of the organization, who is now in pretrial detention, on his birthday. "Here's to many more years together and to be able to continue extorting by your side," he wrote.
In another audio intercepted by the police, one of the ultras sent a message to the Blue and White Brigades in which they told him: "We are not a hobby like you, we are criminals."
