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| Founded | 1970s |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Territory | Chicago (North Side and West Side); Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin |
| Ethnicity | Latinos of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent; some Caucasian and African American/Afro-Latino |
| Leader | Anibal "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.
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
- ^ a b c Elliot, Annette (December 16, 2015). "The untold history of local Latino gangs". Chicago Reader. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ^ "Anatomy of a Gang War". Chicago Tribune. August 29, 1996. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ^ Becker, Robert; Martin, Andrew (November 15, 1996) "Gang Leader Found Guilty of Ordering Rivals' Killings", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "People v. Gonzalez, 663 NW 2d 499 – Mich: Court of Appeals 2003". Retrieved August 16, 2013.
Further reading
- Luthern, Ashley (March 11, 2015). "11 with ties to Spanish Cobra gang arrested for armed robbery". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
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