Eleven arrested and nine weapons hidden: Mossos d'Esquadra strikes against clans involved in the Mina shooting

Sant Adrià del Besòs / BarcelonaA hole in the middle of a barred door or a pair of holes in a slightly raised air conditioner are some of the scars that still remain in the Mina neighborhood of Sant Adrià de Besòs, a reminder of what happened 70 days ago. It was the night of January 7th when a roar of gunfire was heard.: More than 150 shots were fired in five minutes. Some bullets hit cars, others hit facades, and one ricocheted through a window and lightly injured an elderly woman who was peacefully at home. In the world of drugs and clans, displays of force to mark territory are important. Displaying weapons to prove you have them and firing into the air to show you have the courage to pull the trigger. The shooting at La Mina was a show of force, and this Monday the Mossos d'Esquadra responded in kind.

Early in the morning, before the sun had yet to rise, up to 350 officers invaded ground zero at La Mina, the square between the Venus and Saturno buildings. Armed officers took up positions on rooftops to monitor from the air that everything followed the planned script, with the support of drones and a helicopter. Officers from the Special Intervention Group (GEI), the militarized police unit, have been deployed on the street. The police had been investigating the shooting for two months, and today was the day chosen to carry out the arrests of those involved.

In total, the police have arrested eleven people. According to ARA, they are five women between the ages of 27 and 73 and six men between the ages of 23 and 48. Nine of those arrested are believed to be linked to the shooting and two to drug trafficking. The first, allegedly linked to the traits, are members of the Los Cascabeles family clan. Although the operation has taken two months, The police had long been clear about what happened on January 7.It all started with an argument between two minors, which led to the adults getting involved. Police believe the Los Cascabeles clan fired most of the bullets in a show of force against the García Cortés clan. Those arrested are the alleged gunmen and collaborators who provided cover for them.

Linked weapons

The investigation has been complex and has focused heavily on videos from that night that captured various scenes of the shooting. Police also waited until most of those involved were in the Mine (some were exiled after the shooting) and also until the weapons had been left in the apartments. This Monday, they found up to nine firearms, eight of them long-barreled, mostly shotguns and rifles. Now, ballistics experts, who recreated the Mine shooting, will verify whether any of these weapons were fired that day. Behind these events (and many of the problems in the Mine) was drug trafficking and the control of the neighborhood by whoever was strongest in order to sell more drugs. This Monday, police found a marijuana plantation in an apartment in the Venus building during one of their 14 searches.

The massive police operation also served to control a possible violent response from the families of those arrested. There were some tense moments, especially when the last detainee was taken out of the Saturno building. The man, from the Los Cascabeles clan, shouted a phrase in the middle of the square that adopted a warning tone to the neighbors who were looking out of their windows: "I shit on the dead snitchesShortly after, he announced that he had money to "get out," another warning: he will soon be on the street. His family members have confronted the police and journalists, with some throwing objects.

"Laborious" research

Police investigators expressed satisfaction after the operation. Superintendent Sarrias, head of the Sant Adrià police station, stated that the investigation was "very laborious" and that the objective of removing weapons from the streets had been achieved. He also highlighted the increased police force in the area in recent months to prevent further clashes.

After the arrests, tranquility reigned in La Mina. But it was a quiet calm. Few people wanted to talk about it, and only a few discreet individuals, like an elderly man who prefers to remain anonymous, hoped that this operation would pacify the neighborhood and put an end to the shootings. "Drugs mess up everything," he said. The judicial investigation was conducted by the Badalona courts, and the detainees will be brought before a judge in the coming hours.