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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.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2011) |
| Founded | unknown |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Years active | 1950s–present |
| 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(s) | Richard "King Cobra" Medina (early 1970s–1979. deceased)
Anibal "Tuffy C" Santiago (1979–2000's) Current leader unknown |
| Allies | Latin Lovers, Insane Folk gangs such as Ashland Vikings, Insane Dragons, O.A.’s, Insane Deuces, C-Notes, Insane Campbell Boys |
| Rivals | 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 |
Legend has the Spanish Cobras starting as a Puerto Rican youth club on the West Side of Chicago around 1948. Other sources say they were founded in 1958, in the Bridgeport neighborhood. Regardless, The Cobras arrived in Humboldt Park during the 1960s.
In the early 1970s, a young Puerto Rican teenager named Richard Medina became the gang's leader, with their headquarters at Maplewood/Campbell & Potomac. He earned the nickname "King Cobra", or "K.C" for-short. Gang historians credit Medina for ushering in the "New Capone Era" in Chicago. KC had the Spanish Cobras invade the Evergreen Hustlers' neighborhood and fought for control of Evergreen & Washtenaw, absorbing the gang. He then started a Young Cobras faction, who attacked rival gang’s turf, eventually claiming Artesian & Potomac ("A-Town") and Mozart & Cortland ("Sin City").
The Spanish Cobras were introduced to the world in June 1977 after stabbing a member of the Latin Kings during the annual Chicago Puerto Rican Parade. 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.
After the riots, KC sent his two brothers up north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to establish new Cobra sets (factions).
From behind prison walls, the Spanish Cobras were one of the original nations to join the Folks alliance in 1978.
In the spring of 1979, the Insane Spanish Cobras made headlines yet again during their bloody war with the Insane Unknowns. There was a very public response from Mayor Jane Byrne to the homicides, who ordered massive police sweeps throughout the neighborhoods.
Before his murder at the age of 20 in a drive-by shooting, KC grew the Spanish Cobras into a powerhouse around the Division & Maplewood area ("The Motherland"), Division & Artesian, and Artesian & LeMoyne. They expanded into West Humboldt Park at Ridgeway & Thomas, and took over the 'hoods of North Ave & Harding, LeMoyne & Springfield, and Springfield & Hirsch, which branched into 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."
Young Cobra sets opened like wildfire along Central Park Ave in Logan Square at Shakespeare & Central Park ("Young & Crazy"), Central Park & Dickens (the "Wild Side"), and Tripp & Dickens ("The Terror Dome"); Monticello & Cortland ("Murder City") branched into Lawndale & Cortland ("Land of Cobras").
ISC's took over Fullerton Ave in the Hermosa neighborhood around Kilbourn & Fullerton ("The Killing Fields"), at the notorious Fullerton & Tripp ("No Love City"), Tripp & Wabansia ("The Snake Pit") and at Drake & Wolfram ("Diamond City"). Cicero & Armitage ("Cicero Assassins") took the mob further west.
In the summer of 1989 the Francis & Stave YLO-Cobras attacked the Simon City Royals at Kosciusko Park in a series of fist fights and shootouts, taking control of "Koz Park" by early 1990, and opening Schubert & Avers.
In April 1992 the Kedzie & Barry Maniac Latin Disciples accused a Spanish Cobra of selling them bad drugs. The angry MLD's returned and shot the dealer to death. The Cobras retaliated with a deadly riot against the Disciples that led into a ferocious two-day war of guns blazing up and down Logan Square streets.
The Spanish Cobras and Latin Disciples were strong allies from the 1960's to the mid 1990s. However, they began fighting over drug territory around 1994. As head of the Insane Familia, the Insane Spanish Cobras took their alliance of Insane Deuces, Dragons, O-A’s, Insane Campbell Boys and others to war against the Maniacs and Almighty Folks.
In 1996 a Spanish Cobra broke the delicate truce and killed an MLD. All hell erupted on the streets and the escalation of the Insane—Maniac war made 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 Department arrested 31 Spanish Cobras in "Operation: Mongoose", including some gang leaders. This resulted in the closure of a couple of Cobra sections.
In the early 2000s the Lawndale & Cortland Cobras went on a rampage, and removed the MLD’s from North Avenue & Lawndale after violent gunfights and murders.
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.
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 and South Florida.
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