06/21/2007
A court outlawed the Madrid chapter of a Latino street gang on Thursday, rejecting arguments that it was a cultural association helping immigrants, and insisting that all it really did was fight with rival gangs.
The Madrid Provincial Court found the local branch of the Latin Kings gang guilty of being a criminal organization, ordered it dissolved and sentenced 11 suspected leaders to jail terms of up to three years.
The Latin Kings are an offshoot of a gang founded by Hispanic immigrants living in Chicago in the 1970s. It spread to other U.S. cities and has a large branch in Ecuador.
The court said the Madrid chapter was founded in 2000, and while initially peaceful and dedicated to defending Latino values and helping fellow immigrants, it started turning violent in 2004 by waging turf wars, mainly with a rival group called the Netas.
"One can only conclude that the fundamental objective (of the gang) is to commit criminal acts," the court said.
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