Thirty years of professional manga: "I've never robbed a Catalan."

BarcelonaThe conversation takes place on a boulevard in Barcelona's Raval district, where he admits he has stolen many times. He is known in the neighborhood for being one of the most professional experts in the art of Ronaldinho. It's not about kicking or juggling a ball, but rather about approaching a person's leg and making strange movements to cause stupefaction and, above all, distraction. The moment the victim is not looking, he takes advantage to steal their cell phone. "Do I steal? Yes. Is that wrong? Yes. But I'm not violent and I don't hurt anyone," he repeats more than once during the conversation.

He's been arrested so many times that he can't remember exactly how many. In fact, he currently has 61 criminal records. He does remember when he started doing it, and it was at a very early age. He was born in 1977 and has been making a living by smugglers since he was thirteen. He mainly steals phones and then places them in apartments that people buy for 50 or 100 euros. He goes after tourists because he says they later leave and don't report them, and also because they have better cell phones. "They spend more," he comments. He's been stealing for thirty years, and he dares to say it: "I've never robbed a Catalan or a Spaniard." He also admits, at the same time, that he doesn't ask where a person is from before trying to rob them.

He speaks Spanish, but understands Catalan. He constantly looks both ways, as if he were permanently under surveillance. And, in a way, he is: suddenly, two police officers in street clothes greet him (they already know him by name) and remind him that he has two appointments pending, so he shouldn't forget. He nods and says goodbye with a smile. "Nobody can explain the shit that drives us to do this," he says shortly after. His life is based in Algeria, a country that he and his family had to leave when he was 12. They chose—"We had no choice," he explains—France. "We thought we'd find diamonds," he comments, drawing a comparison with the failed dream of a rich life. The reality was that a year later, he abandoned his family and moved to Barcelona "with nothing." "I slept on boats in the harbor, on benches, in trees, wherever it was less cold," he says. Finally, he decided to steal the diamonds he was looking for.

"I started like this, at thirteen, stealing to have hot food," he says. He has been in Catalonia since the 1980s and still remains undocumented. He criticizes the lack of help and the fact that social services have not offered him long-term solutions. He stole, was arrested, and spent time in prison more than once. He even claims that they have tried to deport him, but that neither Morocco nor Algeria "want him." He has also tried unsuccessfully to marry a Catalan woman to obtain nationality. He sleeps in rooms he sublets with the money he steals. In the same central area of ​​Barcelona, ​​​​Ciutat Vella, he sleeps and "works."

Police sources indicate that, while some repeat offenders have found themselves stranded in the city and are in a vulnerable situation, others could opt for other options and choose stealing. Likewise, the same sources cite cases of drug addicts or thieves who have managed to escape crime and now have stable jobs.

Evolution

In a profession like that of a thief, there's also a generational gap, and veterans are wary of the new ways of younger people. This repeat offender criticizes the fact that they're now "out of control" and often end up committing robberies with violence or intimidating the victim. He also criticizes the fact that they don't select their targets well. He says he carefully selects tourists before robbing them, or that he waits for them at the exits of the most expensive hotels.

He also dabbles in the drug world. He says he "tries to avoid that shit," but that younger people don't. In fact, steal and get high These are two verbs that can often be used in the same sentence in the world of crime. It's common for repeat offenders, especially younger ones, to take drugs in order to steal. They opt for substances that loosen their inhibitions to overcome their fear. Furthermore, stolen objects can be used as currency to obtain drugs. With a stolen cell phone, you can buy a dose of crack at a drug store. This explains why a proportion of repeat offenders are drug addicts.

The gossip in Raval also speaks of thieves who have become drug dealers, and vice versa. A growing trend is that of thieves who have switched to cyber-scams, and the police have already caught more than one. For now, the repeat offender interviewed in the center of Raval isn't considering it, but he claims that "he wants to be a millionaire and plays the Primitiva every day."