Spanish Cobras

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Insane Spanish Cobras Nation
Founded1970s
Founding locationChicago, Illinois, USA
TerritoryChicago (North Side and West Side); Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin
Ethnicity Latinos of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent; some Caucasian and African American/Afro-Latino
LeaderAnibal "Tuffy C" Santiago [1]
Allies Folk Nation gangs
Rivals Maniac Latin Disciples, People Nation gangs (including Latin Kings)

The Spanish Cobras is a primarily (but not exclusively) Latino street gang, present in multiple states throughout the Midwestern United States, with a strong presence on the north and west sides of Chicago, Illinois.

Contents

History

The Spanish Cobras were founded in the 1970s by former members of the Maniac Latin Disciples. [2]

In 1989, leaders of the Spanish Cobras, the Maniac Latin Disciples, and the Two Sixers met to establish the Spanish Growth and Development (SGD), a structured organization, in an attempt to control the increasing number of shootings in Chicago. [1] Modeled after the Chicago Outfit, the SGD had a "strict set of rules [and] dispute-mediating mechanisms", though it failed to stop the violence and eventually collapsed. [1]

In February 1996, the escalation of the Insane—Maniac war made headlines in the Chicago Tribune . [3]

Territory

They are known to operate in parts of Illinois, as well as in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha in Wisconsin, and in Detroit. They are quite large in Flint, Michigan. [4] Law enforcement has also reported Spanish Cobras in Ohio, Connecticut, Orlando, Ft Myers and South Florida.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Elliot, Annette (December 16, 2015). "The untold history of local Latino gangs". Chicago Reader. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Anatomy of a Gang War". Chicago Tribune. August 29, 1996. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  3. ↑ Becker, Robert; Martin, Andrew (November 15, 1996) "Gang Leader Found Guilty of Ordering Rivals' Killings", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  4. ↑ "People v. Gonzalez, 663 NW 2d 499 – Mich: Court of Appeals 2003" . Retrieved August 16, 2013.

Further reading

https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/05/06/gang-war-to-blame-for-string-of-shootings-in-hermosa-west-logan-square-police-say/

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