They recruited minors and vulnerable young people, subjected them to a series of tests to demonstrate their commitment to the gang (which included violent robberies and assaults on teenagers), forced them to pay a monthly fee and were threatened if they wanted to leave. The network, called 'Blood', which operated in the province of Seville, has now been dismantled, its two top leaders have been arrested and there are six other people, most of them minors, under investigation.
It has been within the framework of the Civil Guard's 'Macarana' operation where these arrests have occurred for their alleged participation in the crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, threats, coercion and injuries, as well as inducing the commission of crimes against people, against heritage and against public health.
The investigation begins when Benemérita is aware of a series of attacks and violent confrontations carried out by young people and minors under the pretext of their membership in rival gangs, and the brawls were started mainly by the members of the 'Blood' gang. .
For the most part, the fights took place during the celebration of different recreational events, both in towns in the Aljarafe region and at the Seville Fair, using edged weapons such as knives, punches or sharp objects with great damaging potential.
As reported by the armed institute in a statement, the detainees maintained contact with the rest of the national leaders of the gang and encouraged the excessive use of physical violence against other young people and minors, to the point of violating the code of conduct. of the gang or the demands of its leaders was punished with serious physical attacks or even death.
The leader of this bloc, located in the province of Seville (the location is not specified), frequently traveled to Madrid where he interacted with the top leaders of the organization and, once settled in the Andalusian capital, he would have received the task of forming a new block in the province of Seville to attract new members and create a structure.
The objective was to recruit adolescents who were easily manipulated and in vulnerable situations, mainly in schools and institutes and meeting places for young people such as sports centers or parks and through social networks.
To join the gang, applicants were required to pass certain tests established by its leaders, such as attacking other adolescents, receiving physical punishment as a sign of commitment, or committing thefts or robberies with violence or force in things to obtain an economic benefit for the gang. band financing. Another of the tests required was breaking the knuckles of the hand by hitting the wall and with a sock full of stones.
Once the tests were passed, the new member was assigned a specific position in the organization which, with a hierarchical and pyramidal structure, implemented rigorous internal regulations with a code of conduct, dress and discipline. If they failed to comply with these regulations or the guidelines of a member positioned at a higher level, members had to be exposed to physical punishment.
More severe punishments were also established for failure to comply with the orders given by the leadership, which were carried out in a pyramidal manner from Madrid to the ringleaders in Seville, and from them to their subordinates through social networks and messaging platforms.
Voluntary abandonment was extremely punished by the gang, threatening the personal integrity of the “deserter” and their immediate family members, through death threats, even stoning homes and even shooting a former member with a compressed air weapon.
Once you join the band, it is very difficult to leave without the consent of the leader, and even the internal rules establish death as the only possibility of achieving this.
To finance themselves, in addition to paying mandatory fees, subordinates were forced to deal with drugs and numerous minors were forced to obtain money through small-scale drug trafficking, robberies and robberies.
The activity of this block was very high on social networks, being used to give instructions and slogans as well as to recruit new members.
Likewise, they publicized the attacks committed and boasted about carrying out their violent actions or displaying weapons with the aim of obtaining greater recognition from the leadership of the bloc in Madrid and thereby frightening members of other gangs.
Thus, among the weapons that appear carried by members of the gang in Seville are large machetes, katana-type knives and even simulated firearms that look very real.
