MLD's, Imperial Gangsters, MK's, Latin Eagles, WarLords (extinct) and all People Nation gangs such as Latin Kings, Spanish Lords, Vice Lords, Pachucos, GBO's (extinct), Insane Unknown Kings
The Spanish Cobras is a primarily (but not exclusively) Latinostreet gang, present in multiple states throughout the Midwestern United States, with a strong presence on the north and west sides of Chicago, Illinois.
Legend has the Spanish Cobras starting as a Puerto Rican youth club on the West Side of Chicago in East Garfield Park around 1948. Other sources say they were founded in 1958, in the Bridgeport neighborhood.
We know the Spanish Cobras arrived in Humboldt Park during the early 1960s at Artesian & Hirsch during the Puerto Rican migration. They merged with the local Latin Invaders, ran by Wee-Wee aka Godfather, to become the Spanish Cobra Nation.
In 1973 from their headquarters at Maplewood/Campbell & Potomac st, The Spanish Cobras invade the neighboring Evergreen Hustlers turf and fight to take control of Evergreen & Washtenaw, absorbing The Hustlers.
Led by ambitious teenager Richard “King Cobra” Medina, or KC, the Cobras aggressively expanded to Haddon & Washtenaw and flipped the Crazy Ricans gang.
In 1976, KC formed a new faction called Young Spanish Cobras who proved their worth by fighting to take over Mozart & Cortland, forever known as “Sin City".
The Spanish Cobras jumped a Latin Kings member when they caught him on the wrong side of the Park during the annual Puerto Rican Parade in June 1977. They stabbed him after the beating. The Kings retaliated later that day, culminating in the two gangs publicly fighting. Chicago Police then shot indiscriminately into the crowd, killing two innocent bystanders, thus igniting the Humboldt Park riot.
The Insane Spanish Cobras made headlines again during their bloody war with the Insane Unknowns in April of ‘79. It began in February when a founding member of the Unknowns got stopped by Cobras while walking through their Springfield & Hirsch ‘hood. They told him to never come through again. Next week, the over confident Unknown comes walking down the block and gets killed with 18 bullets. In April, The Insane Unknowns go looking for revenge. The back and forth retaliations over the next few weeks is all over the news, dubbed as “The War of the Insanes”. After the Unknowns murdered two innocent brothers, age 19 and 21, there was a massive outcry in the Latino Community and a public response from Mayor Jane Byrne who ordered increased police sweeps.
Before his murder at the age of 20 in a drive-by shooting, “King Cobra” grew The Spanish Cobra Nation into a powerhouse around the Division & Maplewood area ("The Motherland") at Division & Artesian, Artesian & Potomac (“A-Town”) and Artesian & LeMoyne. They expanded into West Humboldt Park at Ridgeway & Thomas, and took over the neighborhood of North Ave & Harding, LeMoyne & Springfield, Springfield & Hirsch, and Avers & Hirsch ("Westown Cobras").
In the 1980s, according to criminologist John Haggerdon's book Insane the Chicago Way,
"What began to take shape was the daring plan of gang leaders incarcerated in Statesville—Fernando "Prince Fernie" Zayas from the Maniac Latin Disciples, Anibal "Tuffy C" Santiago from the Insane Spanish Cobras, and David Ayala from the Two Sixers—to create a local Latino Mafia."
Cobra sets opened like wildfire down Central Park Ave at Shakespeare St (“Young & Crazy”), Dickens Ave (“Wild Side”), Tripp & Dickens (“The Terror Dome”), Monticello & Cortland (“Murder City”) branched into Lawndale & Cortland (“Cobrasland”)
Spanish Cobras attacked the Gaylords and Stoned Freaks so violently to take over Kilbourn & Fullerton Ave it was now called “The Killing Fields". SC’s opened the notorious Fullerton & Tripp ("No Love City"), Tripp & Wabansia ("The Snake Pit"), Drake & Wolfram ("Diamond City") and the Cobras expanded westward to Cicero & Armitage.
Northwest Side, Summer 1989. The Francis & Stave YLO-Cobras attacked the Simon City Royals at Kosciusko Park in a series of bloody fist fights and deadly shootouts, taking control of "Koz Park" in early 1990 and opening Schubert & Avers as a major illegal drug distribution spot.
In response, the Simon City Royals killed a Northside Cobra in 1991. The Lawrence Ave Cobras from Lawndale & Ainsle “L.A.st” and the Argyle set, attacked the Royals at Jensen Park and waged a violent war. It ended with the Insane Spanish Cobras taking control of the park and opening Leland & Lawndale in June 1992.
Spanish Cobras and Latin Disciples were strong allies from the 1960's to the mid 1990s. In May ‘92 a couple of Maniac Latin Disciples accused a Spanish Cobra of selling them bad drugs, so they returned and shot him dead. The angry Cobras retaliated by invading MLD’s hood and causing a massive riot. Guns blazed up and down the streets for two days, until peace was restored.
Resentment grew on both sides during the uneasy truce, amplified by illegal profits and occasional skirmishes. Maniacs and Insanes started fighting over drug territory around 1994.
In February 1996, the escalation of the Insane—Maniac war made headlines in the Chicago Tribune.[1] That same year; in retaliation for the murder of a high-ranking member, the West-Town Cobras shot up a Latin Kings wedding, resulting in casualties. The deadly shooting was caught on videotape and local news stations broadcast it across Chicagoland. This increased the pressure on law enforcement to go after the gang.
After a nine-month undercover narcotics investigation, in January 1998 the Chicago Police arrested 31 Spanish Cobras in "Operation: Mongoose", including some gang leaders. This resulted in the closure of a section.
When a Spanish Cobra Nation boss was released from prison in 2019 after serving 20 years, he intensified the war on the street to reclaim old turf.
Territory
The Chicago neighborhoods with the strongest active Insane and YLO Spanish Cobra presence are: Humboldt Park, Hermosa, Logan Square, Belmont-Cragin, Avondale, Albany Park and Kelvyn Park. With a small presence in the McKinley Park area on the south side (34th & Western).[citation needed]
The Spanish Cobra Nation is also found in the Chicago suburbs of Waukegan, Bensenville and Cicero. Police have reported Cobra gang members in the suburbs of Elgin, Wheeling, Mount Prospect and Northlake.
They are known to operate in other parts of Illinois, as well as in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha in Wisconsin, and in Detroit. They are quite large in Flint, Michigan.[2] Law enforcement has also reported Spanish Cobras in Ohio, Connecticut, Orlando, Ft Myers and South Florida.
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