12 Barca hooligans in custody under suspicion of murder and drug trafficking

Catalan police have detained 28 members of a criminal organisation called the ‘Casuals’, 12 of which have been jailed without bail, according to El Pais.

The group have links to the infamous Boixos Nois ultra group which were expelled from Camp Nou by Barcelona. Recently a voice note made it into the public domain, where a leader of the group, Francisco Perez, also known as Paco El Gordo, threatened to stab Espanyol fans that had chased Barcelona players off the pitch at the RCDE Stadium.

On Friday, 28 arrests were made by the Mossos, after a year of bugging Perez’s car. On Monday, 12 were jailed without bail as they await trial for a number of charges, detailed as homicide, drug trafficking, kidnap, threats, bodily harm, organised crime, extorsion and public disturbances. They have also been banned from sporting venues.

The report goes on to detail that ‘Operation Hydra’ did not manage to capture the supposed leader of the group Ricardo Mateo, despite police calling at his house.

Back in 2021, the police gathered more information on members involved in the group following a violent attack on an Espanyol bar. The homicides in question relate to two murders carried out in March and April in Barcelona, with one rival drug trafficker executed, and another person found dead in a car boot.