Lucio R. Borderland Beat story translated by BB contributor "Benny Juarez"
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Madrid, Spain - Madrid's National Police arrested a leader of a criminal gang nicknamed "El Mexicano" (The Mexican), who allegedly had instructions to establish this organization in Spain.
This individual had several pending cases with the police and at the moment of his capture carried falsified documentation, the police informed. Later it was discovered that he had established his legal situation in the country with a fake identity.
"The arrest is fruit of acts that are developed systematically to avoid the establishment of this and other similar organizations in Spain" authorities indicated.
The subject, whose real identity or nationality was not revealed, will be under arrest until he can be expelled from the country.
The national police achieved the investigation in collaboration with police services from Honduras and El Salvador.
According to the authorities, currently The "Mara 18" does not have one sole leader controlling it, instead several leaders at an international level work in coordination to mark the directives that the organization needs to be guided by.
The principal sources of financing for this organization are: Extortions, Specifically to businessmen, drug trafficking, express kidnappings, arms trafficking, the acquiring of real estate to later rent to other people, and other crimes.
The investigations into the activities of "El Mexicano" in Spain remain open
"Las Maras" which origin can be traced back to the 80's in the Unites States, is organized in a system of territory cells with groups of youngsters between 25 and 50 members, who make crime their way of life.
The Maras arose in the United States as a consequence of conflicts generated by marginalization, family issues and common delinquency. Even though the first members of the Maras were natives of El Salvador, currently they have extended to countries like El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia.