Spanish Cobras

This history has been updated: 11/13/25

The Spanish Cobra’s have one of the hardest early histories I have ever needed to research and in recent developments I now see why it was so hard to learn. I am not all the way positive if I got it right this time but I hope I am at least much closer. The creation of the Spanish Cobras can be told in multiple parts and the history comes from two sides of the city; therefore, I am going to tell this in each part and how it all came together to eventually form the Insane Spanish Cobras we know today.

The Bridgeport legend of Loco De Culebro: 1958

The first part of the Spanish Cobra legacy comes from the Bridgeport neighborhood on Chicago’s south side in 1958. Back in 1958, the south side was undergoing a major disruption while the Dan Ryan Expressway was being built. Many people on the south side and west side experienced sudden homelessness as the Dan Ryan tore down several houses and apartment complexes; however, most of the trajectory for the expressway construction was strategically planned to tear through impoverished areas that mainly housed Hispanics and African Americans, this pushed many Hispanic and black people into all-white neighborhoods that were not welcoming. Bridgeport had a long history of over 100 years of racism by the late 50s and now Puerto Rican people were coming to Bridgeport in a building that once stood at 33^rd and Morgan. Many other Puerto Rican people were living in the Bridgeport projects at 32^nd and Lituanica among mostly whites. Bridgeport had some of the most dangerous greaser gangs in the city in the 50s and many of these youths had family ties to the Italian mafia. This was a dangerous neighborhood to be Hispanic, especially Puerto Rican.

The young Puerto Rican youths were subject to fights and harassment from white gangs and Puerto Rican kids needed to come together quick and they gave themselves the name “Loco De Culebro” which meant “crazy snakes” or “insane snakes” in Spanish. The name was ferocious but it was not understood by the neighborhood because it was in Spanish.

1960: The Spanish Cobras

I don’t know the reason but Loco De Culebro changed their name in 1960 to the “Spanish Cobras.” I have a couple theories why they changed the name. One theory I have is that they wanted to entice Mexican youths to join once Mexican people first started moving to Bridgeport in 1960, there were multiple Mexican members in the 60s. The second theory I have is that they wanted an intimidating name that the white gangs could understand. The early colors of the Spanish Cobras were black and Maroon. These Spanish Cobras existed all through the 60s in Bridgeport and were once one of the prominent gangs. The Cobras ruled the building at 33^rd and Morgan, covered it in graffiti, and had a clubhouse in it. The building was located right at the corner in the exact spot where the small parking lot now sits for Martinez grocery store/Mexican restaurant. Legends have it that Spanish Cobras frequented some of the bars in Bridgeport and there were multiple bars on Morgan Street alone.

The Invaders

I don’t have a lot of history about the organization the Latin Invaders/Spanish Invaders from East Humboldt Park. The Invaders were part of the wave of Puerto Rican gangs that formed in the West Town and Humboldt Park areas in the 60s. Many of these gangs formed in the area but the majority of them were wiped out by the late 60s by the Latin Kings. I don’t think the Invaders date back to the earlier 60s, they likely formed in the very late 60s or very early 70s. I don’t know the exact blocks Invaders formed on but hopefully in time I will gain that knowledge. As far as I know they didn’t have any beef with Latin Kings. Almost every Puerto Rican gang from the 60s that had a problem with Latin Kings was eliminated, only those that called themselves allies survived. The Invaders had a lot to do with the early origin of the Spanish Cobras. Invader’s colors were black and green. “Teddy” and “Horse” were some of the founders of the Invaders.

Vittum Park Cobras

In the year 1971, the Spanish Cobras of Bridgeport branched out to the Garfield Ridge community in the Vittum Park area. There once was a white greaser gang in the 60s in this park called the Centurions but in 1971 the Spanish Cobras took over after those greasers left. This neighborhood was the only other neighborhood Bridgeport Cobras branched to and it only last until 1974.

Scooby’s Cobras

In the year 1971, “Scooby” started the first group of “Spanish Cobras” in the East Humboldt Park community in the area of Potomac Avenue from Maplewood to Campbell. These Cobras wore the colors of purple and white and if I am not mistaken, they may have just been a baseball team. It could even be possible these Cobras were also the Invaders and their team was called “Spanish Cobras.”

1974

This story begins to come together in the year 1974. In the Bridgeport neighborhood the building that once stood where the parking lot for Martinez Grocery now sits became condemned by the city in an attempt to rid Bridgeport of the Spanish Cobras, the building was then vacated and eventually torn down in the mid-70s. The Cobras were evicted and almost all gave up the gang life accept two brothers that were part of the second generation of Spanish Cobras, these were the “Twinkie Brothers” who were nicknamed “Soul C” and “Afro C.” Soul C was Nelson and Afro C was Emilio. Both these brothers were Puerto Rican but their skin was so dark they were thought to be African American. These boys attended Tilden High School on the south side in the early 70s then moved onto Campbell Avenue in East Humboldt Park in about 1974. The Twinkie brothers were highly charismatic and they bonded with the Spanish Cobras and Invaders. The Twinkie Brothers had in common that they were Spanish Cobras from Bridgeport. A crew developed that began hanging out in the area of Potomac to Hirsch and from Artesian to Maplewood. These guys were: Godfather (Wee Wee), Teddy, Scooby, Hector, Jimmy, Slim, Mr. Mike, the Marty Twins and several members of the Rosado Family. If the Spanish Cobras were just a baseball team in the early 70s they now became a club/gang officially in 1974.

“Caballo” opened Artesian and Potomac in 1974 and became the leader of that section.  Artesian and Lemoyne also opened, these two sections called themselves “Young Spanish Cobras” and in later years Artesian and Potomac Cobras became legendary gunners.

A bond developed between Spanish Cobras and Latin Disciples, and this led some Disciples and Cobras to call themselves “Almighty” back in the early 1970s.  The Latin Lovers were also “Almighty” when they formed, this ended in 1974.

Insane

There were many legends that have been passed around through the decades that “King Cobra” was the founder of the Insane Spanish Cobras. I heard about this as far back as the 90s when I was a kid but learned that is not actually true, there is some truth in it though.

Richard “King Cobra” Medina was born in the year 1959, and his gravestone is proof of that. The Spanish Cobras of Bridgeport were started before and during Medina’s birth and the Cobras and Invaders of East Humboldt Park were started before Medina was a teen. At best, Medina could have maybe been an original pee wee member.

Richard Medina was full of charisma and was growing up in the heart of the Spanish Cobra neighborhood and was there when it all came together in 1974. Medina may have been a Latin Invader because he loved the colors black and green. Medina asked for permission to run his own younger group of Cobras at Campbell and Potomac that he called the “Renegade Cobras” and his brothers Jimmy and William helped run it. Medina wanted his Renegade Cobras to have his own colors by taking the Invader’s colors of black and green. Medina was the inventor of the “Insane” concepts which was adopted by the Cobras wearing black and green. Medina’s concepts were admired by the youths in the neighborhood especially since he used the colors from the Invaders that was also the color of many snakes and “Insane” was derived from the Loco De Culebro roots of the Bridgeport Cobras.

King Cobra’s group got popular by Division Street which was slightly south of main Cobra territory from Potomac to Haddon and from Washtenaw to Maplewood. Potomac and Maplewood became the headquarters as it was between King Cobra’s group and the older Cobras.

War started with the Insane Unknowns in 1974 because both gangs added “Insane” to their name that year and did not want to share it with each other. Since Medina considered being “Insane” more sacred to Spanish Cobra history he demanded the Unknowns stop using it but they refused and war started that would only worsen over the years.

The Insane Spanish Cobras and the Capone Era

In the year 1976, Richard Medina was now 17 years old and the older Cobras were heading into retirement or semi-retirement. The older Cobras couldn’t help but to admire the dedication of Medina; therefore, they passed the leadership role to Medina. Once Medina took over he turned the organization into the “Insane Spanish Cobras” as their full name and the black and green colors were official for all Cobras which meant the purple and white was now retired. Only older, retired Cobras would continue with the white and purple.

Richard Medina made an official alliance with the Maniac Latin Disciples in 1976 which was known as “Y.L.O” or “Young Latino Organization.” Under Y.L.O the Cobras and Disciples teamed up on the much larger Latin Kings in East Humboldt Park and against white gangs like C-Notes, Taylor Jousters and Chi-West. Y.L.O originated with the Young Lords and was firs given to Cobras and Disciples in West Humboldt Park.

Fairfield and Lemoyne and Evergreen and Washtenaw were opened in 1976 in East Humboldt Park.  The Evergreen Hustlers were at Evergreen and Washtenaw and flipped to Cobras at this later part of the 1970s. 

The Spanish Cobras had become highly organized at this point in time which is known as the “Capone era,” and a lot of that was credited to King Cobra and maybe that is why his praises went so far that he was accredited as the founder of the Spanish Cobras. Realistically he was just the founder of a more organized Cobra gang.

West Humboldt Park

In the year 1975, West Humboldt Park went through another major racial change as white people rapidly moved out of the area of Division to Bloomingdale and Central Park Ave to Kostner. The Latin Kings ruled east of Central Park Avenue since the late 60s while white gangs ran the northwest like Gaylords and P.V.Ps, but once white flight swept in 1975 those white gangs were gone. Many Puerto Rican and Mexican people moved north of Division Street in West Humboldt Park and members of Mighty Grand (Imperial Gangsters), Maniac Latin Disciples, Insane Unknowns and Spanish Cobras moved in. By 1976, the Spanish Cobras were fully established in West Humboldt Park starting at Ridgeway and Thomas and Springfield and Hirsch. Ridgeway and Thomas became a legendary section full of elite gunners.

The United Latino Organization

In many ways, the Spanish Cobras were still a lot like a movement more so than a gang in the 70s and further evidence of this was when Spanish Cobras, Maniac Latin Disciples, Imperial Gangsters and Latin Eagles came together in an alliance called “United Latino Organization” or “U.L.O.” ULO was a big deal in the late 70s until Insane, Maniac and Almighty concepts then later Folks concepts overshadowed ULO.

Wisconsin Spanish Cobras

Early in 1979, the Medina brothers moved to Milwaukee Wisconsin and founded the Spanish Cobras in the state of Wisconsin and in the Milwaukee area.  Jamie “Jimmy” Medina and William were incarcerated together for a murder/robbery in March of 1979. Richard Medina never moved to Wisconsin.

Haddon & Washtenaw Crazy Ricans

In the late 1970s, the Spanish Cobras absorbed the “Crazy Ricans” gang that was located at Haddon and Washtenaw making the Cobras even larger in size.

The death of King Cobra

Tragedy struck on April 12, 1979 when Richard “King Cobra” Medina had just pulled up at his residence at Maplewood and Division with his girlfriend and their new born baby. Richard could smell something in the air and somehow knew something bad was going to go down. He told his girl to take the baby and hurry up and get inside. Richard began unloading the baby car seat and as he did a car pulled up and fired several bullets into his body and he was found slumped over the baby seat and was DOA at the scene, he was 20 years old when he died.  His family wanted to move him to Milwaukee to get him away from gang violence but he refused to move with his brothers. The Leavitt and Schiller Insane Unknowns were to blame for the murder in retaliation for the killing of Ruben Perez an original Insane Unknown. The Cobras were now full of hate and ready to kill.

The war with the Insane Unknowns

Anibal “Tuffy C” Santiago took over as the new leader of the Spanish Cobras. A few days later the Spanish Cobras got their revenge and shot up Ramon “Papo” Cruz who was shot dead at 1053 N. Springfield Ave (Thomas and Springfield). The Spanish Cobras shot him 9 times making this murder a bloody mess. Police arrested James Rosado, at the time 19 years old, for the murder and claimed he shot him with .25 and .38 caliber handguns. This went down the same day that King Cobra was killed. The Spanish Cobras wasted no time in getting revenge; they would not even sleep on it before going out for a murder. After this more murdering went down, the Insane Unknowns got their revenge for Papo’s death, and then the Cobras retaliated.

By April 22nd there were two more murders as the Insane Unknowns put bags on their heads and blasted 4 kids that claimed they were not Spanish Cobras, nevertheless, the Unknowns opened fire on all 4 youths and killed two brothers. This occurred at 3848 West Hirsch (between Avers and Hirsch and Springfield and Hirsch). At that point 6 people had been killed due to this bloody gang war and this does not account for the several beatings, gang fights, graffiti, and other destruction and violence that occurred during this war. The bloody saga continued, and this brought attention from all of law enforcement and Mayor Jane Byrne. The gang war became well published, as many newspapers published the murders I listed in issues of the 1979 Chicago Tribune, which is where I got this info, and the Spanish Cobras now reached a new level of infamy to the world.

The intense war with the Unknowns did not fizzle out a little until 1981, regardless, the Cobras made it a point to kill at least one rival every anniversary day since King Cobra’s death in 1980, 1981 and 1982 until law enforcement cracked down on it on April 12, 1983 when they spotted Spanish Cobras chanting gang slogans at Richard Medina’s grave. They were all arrested for disorderly conduct which caused no shooting to happen that day. It was also in 1981 that Tuffy C was convicted of the October 7 murder of Juan Gomez at the corner of Monticello and Cortland in Logan Square, which he is still doing time for, he was 23 years old at the time (People vs. Gutierrez, 1985).

The Insane Family

Richard Medina was the creator of the Insane concepts. Medina put it all together for the nation in the mid-70s, before Medina the Cobras were small and split among multiple groups. Richard Medina organized the Cobras and turned them into one mob and was the creator and founder of the “Insane Spanish Cobras” but not the Spanish Cobra founder, this is where the misconception comes into play. The Capone era was truly the time of organization for the Cobras and Medina is the founder of that organizing and Insane. It took me many years to understand this and I am not sure if I am even all the way there yet in understanding it.

After Medina’s death in 1979, Tuffy C took over leadership and this is when either Tuffy himself or a council made the decision to make Insane into a “family” or “familia.” For many years Spanish Cobras were very tight with Orquestra Albany, Insane Dragons, Ashland Vikings and the Harrison Gents. The Cobras extended their ability to organize to their closest allies which would become a business arrangement that would involve helping each other carry out hits (murders) to selling heroin, cocaine and other drugs together. This alliance was not so tight that these clubs all used the “Insane” moniker, it was more loose knit back then and did not need stringent laws to keep them working together.

Logan Square

Despite being in the middle of a violent gang war with the Unknowns, Cobras found a way to branch out Humboldt Park because either members were catching too much heat from the police or members were getting paroled thanks to the Illinois forced release program between 1979 to 1982. Logan Square was crowded with gangs in 1979 with Latin Kings, Gaylords, Maniac Latin Disciples, GBO/YBOs, Latin Lovers etc…but Spanish Cobras managed to set up at Cortland and Mozart. Simon City (not Simon City Royals) withdrew from Cortland and Mozart in 1974 and the area was wide open for the Cobras to colonize. The Spanish Cobras would eventually become deep in Logan Square over the decades and still have a lingering presence among yuppies and hipsters because Logan Square was heavy hitting Cobra hood for decades. The murder case that Tuffy was involved in is evidence Cobras had arrived in 1979.

Some legendary sections to open in the mid-1980s in Logan Square where Central Park and Dickens and Francis and Stave (1985).  Shubert and Avers would open in 1990.

The Cicero Assassins

The far northwest side community of Belmont-Cragin was once an all white community that had strong interests in staying white especially by the 1960s when African Americans were spreading deeper west on the west side. The neighborhood was always full of greaser gangs since the 50s and by the late 60s the Gaylords grew real large. The Playboys and Taylor Jousters moved into the neighborhood in the 70s and all three white gangs were tight. They all fought with Hispanic and African American gangs from outside the neighborhood. By 1980, at latest, the Spanish Cobras moved into the area of Cicero Avenue and Armitage Avenue area alongside the first Hispanic migration in Belmont-Cragin. The Gaylords 712 site has some eyewitness accounts of Gaylords talking about their first encounter with the Cobras as mostly peaceful and the Gaylords let them carry on because they felt they were insignificant and nothing to worry about. I don’t know how I feel about this story because Gaylords, Jousters and Playboys had the numbers and hardcore enough members to squash the Cobras immediately but instead they let them go? What I really believe happened was the Cobras fought viciously against the white gangs and earned their section name the “Cicero Assassins.” This section of Cobras is one of the most down Cobra sections in Chicago and has had branch outs from this area because it was so legendary. The Cobras were the first Hispanic gang in Belmont-Cragin and remain strong in the community presently as they fought through multiple generations of gangs starting with the white gangs then onto the Maniac Latin Disciples, Imperial Gangsters, Milwaukee Kings, Insane Unknowns and several others.

Spanish Cobra first suburbs

Between 1979 to 1980, the Spanish Cobras made a bold move into multiple Chicago suburbs and spread aggressively. I found old articles from the Arlington Heights Daily Herald newspaper from 1982 until the end of the 80s talking about Spanish Cobra graffiti being found in multiple northwest suburbs. Among three February 1982 articles from the Herald the “Spanish Cobras” were a gang listed by a married couple when interviewed from the Arbor View apartments. These Rolling Meadows apartments were rough and dangerous in the late 70s and early 80s, many Latin Kings, Imperial Gangsters and Spanish Cobras were released from the forced release prison program and they settled in this Rolling Meadows Arbor View complex. Eventually the gangs were pushed out of Arbor View in 1982 and they moved into complexes more east in Rolling Meadows, I am not sure if Cobras went with them but if they did they did not survive in Rolling Meadows outside of the 1980s. I don’t know exactly what year the Cobras started in Rolling Meadows but it was in 1981 at latest but I strongly believe they were there either in 1979 or 1980.

Old 1982 and 1983 Arlington Heights Herald articles mentioned Spanish Cobras might have been in Bloomingdale and Wheeling. I know for sure Cobras were in Wheeling and were once big there in the 80s and maybe some of the earlier 90s. If the Cobras did arrive in Wheeling and Bloomingdale by 1982, they likely landed in these suburbs before 82 and as far back as 1979.

Prospect Heights: Pipe Lane

When people from Chicago area that know gangs real well think of the suburb of Prospect Heights and the Country Pines Estates and Wimbledon Estates A.K.A. Pipe Lane, they think of Spanish Gangster Disciples and the Piper Lane Lovers. Since 1996, the Spanish Gangster Disciples have been the most powerful Piper Lane gang and before that the Piper Lane Lovers, who later flipped to SGDs, were big too. A forgotten chapter in Pipe Lane history is the time prior to 1994 when Spanish Cobras were the biggest gang on Piper Lane. The Arlington Heights Daily Harold November 12, 1989 article reported “Spanish Cobra” graffiti problems. A 1992 Chicago Tribune article interviewed a 10 year old boy that said the “Spanish Cobras” were the biggest gang is his complex, the boy lived in the Wimbledon apartments according to the article. The Spanish Cobras were definitely on Piper Lane by 1982, but I strongly believe they arrived as far back as 1979 and definitely by 1980. The reason Cobras died out of Piper Lane is because they were too active and many of them got locked up, the police broke them up. The police didn’t just take the Cobras down in Piper Lane they also removed insane allies the Insane Dragons and Ashland Vikings along with their rivals Spanish Lords and Latin Kings.

Bosworth and Lemoyne

The Bosworth and Lemoyne area of Noble Square was once ruled by the Ventures and Pulaski Park white gangs. In 1980, the Spanish Cobras settled on Bosworth and Lemoyne. These Cobras joined the U.P.C.I alliance in 1980 with other Folks allies to improve their communities. This alliance lasted until the late 80s when all the allies went to war with each other but Ashland Vikings and Cobras remained tight. This Cobra section lasted until the 90s and was wiped out by gentrification.

Albany Park

Part of the early 80s Spanish Cobra conquest was the Albany Park neighborhood when they landed in the Jensen Park area and then became deep. The Cobra legacy is strong in Albany Park although they have lost some blocks over time, mostly due to gentrification, Cobras remain on these streets.

Hermosa

In the year 1984 the Spanish Cobras arrived in the Hermosa community as they settled at Keeler and Dickens.  When they arrived they fought against the Gaylords and Stoned Freaks so hard that Freaks and Gaylords ended their war because these new Cobras were so fierce it became a major burden for Freaks and Gaylords.  The Cobras then kicked off a war with the Imperial Gangsters in this neighborhood until the Imperial Gangsters could no longer deal with it and flipped to Cobras in 1987.  The Spanish Cobras from this area would eventually overcome the Stoned Freaks in 1994 taking away all their turf.

Des Plaines

In the year 1984, there was some migration of Hispanic families from the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood to the south side of the northwest suburb of Des Plaines. These families came to apartments and townhouses in the Apache Park area and many of these families were related. Spanish Cobras and Latin Brothers moved into this area and were allies due to strong family ties. The Latin Kings became their common enemy in this area. The Spanish Cobras made lots of noise in the 80s in Des Plaines and perhaps were too active. On November 12, 1989, the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reported on a member of the Spanish Cobras getting locked up for burglary of a house. When the family that owned the home was trying to press charges on the Cobra for burglarizing their house young members of the Spanish Cobras stood outside of his Des Plaines home harassing the family and waiting to jump on the teenager named Paul. It very well could have been this event that brought the end of the Des Plaines Cobras for targeting a non-gang member for violence and intimidation, such behavior was likley not supported by the nation and that could have also led to this Cobra section closing, I have heard of no stories of the Cobras in Des Plaines at any point in the 1990s.

Bensenville

In about 1984, Spanish Cobras set up their first major suburban section in the suburb of Bensenville in Du Page county. The Hamilton Avenue townhouses were a wild place to be in the early 80s as Imperial Gangsters and Harrison Gents ran this complex while Latin Kings constantly invaded nearby from their apartment complexes elsewhere in town. When the Harrison Gents got wiped out by the police in 1984 the Spanish Cobras took their place. These Cobras were Cicero Assassins from Belmont-Cragin and even invited their family allies the Latin Brothers to these townhouses in the 80s. These Cobras were: Lanny Garlock, Marco Hernandez, David Ortiz, Ian Gentry, Marshall and a legendary member named “Lil Bee.” Bensenville Cobras were a major force to be reckoned with and they fought Latin Kings savagely.

Between 1989 and 1990, more Chicago gangs came to Bensenville and the Cobras got busier. 1990 was the most terrifying year in Bensenville as shootings were constant and even gang related car crashes due to ramming. Most of the gangbanging was between Spanish Cobras and Latin Kings until the Bensenville police had enough. After 15 years of drama and legal problems the Cobras began to withdraw from Bensenville in 1999 but still dragged it out until 2014. Bensenville is the most serious Spanish Cobra suburban section in history and 30 years of history proves it.

Cobras throwing up the fork

In the 1980s the Spanish Cobras continued to grow and kept their Folk Nation allies close to them and avoided interalliance wars. The Cobras also had very strong connections with the Black Gangster Disciples and the Latin Disciples and showed the pitchfork in all their literature and spray painted gang symbols.

1985: the background of the war between Cobras and other Folks

Beginning in the year 1985, bad blood first started brewing within the north side Folks which began the background for what would later come as all ULO allied gangs would eventually split.  In the year 1985, Imperial Gangsters began to feud among themselves as Spaulding and Armitage IGs began conflicting with IGs from Kimball and Cortland.  Imperial Gangsters from Kimball and Cortland under the leadership of Tea Bags were put together when they collaborated with Crazy Willie of the Spanish Cobras to open a section together known as Cobra Gangsters or CGs.  This did not sit well with IGs from Spaulding and Armitage, so Fat Jose from the Spaulding and Armitage IGs worked with Pee Wee of the Maniac Latin Disciples to create the Gangster Disciples or GDs (no relation to the Gangster Disciples gang).  This was a brief war that resulted in the SGD board stepping in to resolve this issue in 1986.  Even though this was resolved it started the beginning of bitterness between the ULO allies.  As a result of this Talman and Wabansia MLDs were formed and Western and Cortez Imperial Gangsters were formed in the aftermath.

Hanover Park

Chicago gangs came to the northwest suburb of Hanover Park in the year 1985. Hispanic migration came to this suburb into multiple apartment and townhouse complexes that housed struggling families. The Tanglewood townhouses became a tough area for Hispanic youths from single parent families moving into section 8 sponsored townhouses. Frustrations brewed as these kids struggled to fit in with the rest of the white community; therefore, they took up gang ties from the city and this included Spanish Cobras. The Cobras were once very active in Hanover Park and went alongside allies the Maniac Latin Disciples and Gangster Disciples as they descended upon Latin Kings that had manifested in the Glendale Terrace apartments. Even though the Cobras, Disciples and GDs teamed up, they still could not outnumber the Latin Kings but Cobras and their allies fought hard. Hanover Park was another unsuccessful Cobra outpost; however, it deserves mention because it lasted nearly a decade and it was active early in history.

The background of the Maniac and Insane war: the end of the fork

starting in 1987, newer Spanish Cobras and Latin Disciples did not get along as well as the older members of each gang.  Fist fights would break out and other kinds of drama between both gangs that older members completely avoided, instead the older members organized the conflicts.  The older members would bring the younger members into a school yard and let them have a big brawl to get all the frustrations out then after that there was peace.  It was sort of like being a parent having young siblings that don’t get along, make them fight it out and then shake hands afterward.  This was a great way of keeping YLO/ULO Folks in tact but it was still concerning that the younger members of Cobras and Disciples were having these conflicts to begin with but for these next 5 years this is how conflicts were effectively resolved.

In this same year of 1987, perhaps because of these small conflicts with Maniac Latin Disciples the Spanish Cobras discontinued using the pitchfork as a symbol.

War with Latin Eagles

Spanish Cobras would also end up in a major conflict with fellow ULO allies the Latin Eagles starting the night of September 9, 1989. The Latin Eagles threw a party at Caguas Nightclub which used to be located at 2444 West North Ave in the Logan Square neighborhood. The Eagles invited allies from the Spanish Cobras, Maniac Latin Disciples and Campbell Boys to the party. As the night went on a fight broke out between a Latin Eagle and a Spanish Cobra, eventually someone pulled out a gun and started firing it off. The crowd panicked and ran out the door in a hurry. Outside the fight turned into a massive brawl that ended up resulting in the beating death of a Wrigleyville Latin Eagle named “Lil Rook” with a two by four piece of wood (Illinois People vs. Johnson, 1995).

After this beating death of the Latin Eagle war ensued between Latin Eagles and Spanish Cobras putting a dent in the ULO coalition.  Only Kenneth/Kostner and Armitage Latin Eagles stayed out of the war, but the rest of the Eagles now hated Spanish Cobras. 

Koz Park

In the year 1990, the Francis and Stave Cobras opened up the Kosciuszko Park (Koz Park) section and took the intersection of Shubert and Avers.  This became a legendary section. The Cobras needed to fight a vicious war against Simon City Royals to capture this area.

35^th & Western

Between 1989 and 1990, Hispanic migration came to the mostly white south side neighborhood of McKinley Park. The Insane Popes dominated this neighborhood and did not take kindly to this migration unless one was a Latin Count. The Counts had free reign of this area with the blessing of the Popes but Satan Disciples and Spanish Cobras were not allowed. To make it worse, fellow Folks the Satan Disciples became enemies of the Cobras. Spanish Cobras made 35^th and Western their section of McKinley Park and this involved violence against the other three big gangs. The Cobras did not stay quiet on these streets and made lots of noise which led to many incarcerations but Popes, Counts and Disciples could not eliminate them and they continue on into recent years.

Kenosha and Racine, Wisconsin

In the year 1981 some Ashland Vikings moved to Kenosha and would eventually recruit a youth from Kenosha named Fernando.  This was the year that the Ashland Vikings first began to branch out outside of Chicago.  In the year 1990, Fernando was incarcerated and in 1992 he was transferred to Racine correctional facility where he met Jaime Medina.  Jaime offered Ferando control of all of the Kenosha and Racine and south east Wisconsin area as long as he flipped to a Spanish Cobra, Fernando agreed and the Spanish Cobras were started in southeast Wisconsin with Kenosha and Racine as the heart of this region.  Fernando then took in his nephews who were 14-16 at the time and gave them 1st and 2nd seat YLOC rank.  These boys were the ones that actually gangbanged on the streets of Kenosha and Racine and officially brought it to the streets and recruited 30-40 members.  All this led the incarceration of the nephews of Fernando because of heavy police attention in 1994.

The first Insane and Maniac war, 1992

In 1992, the skirmishes between Insanes and Maniacs became even more frequent and it boiled into the first major war between Cobras and Disciples as a series of shootouts happened for two days straight that was bad enough to make it on the news.  The war was stopped once older members put an end to it.

Insane comes first

In the aftermath of the 1992 war, the Insane and Maniac families made their organizations more official than ever before and intensified the divide.  Now Cobras went by “Insane Spanish Cobra” while Latin Disciples now went by “Maniac Latin Disciple” at all times.  This divide now caused their allies to back up Cobras or Maniacs whenever there was violence going on against each other.  Another group splintered out of ULO known as the “Almighty” alliance.  The Simon City Royals, Insane Popes, Latin eagles and Imperial Gangsters went that route. Now all Insane allies out “Insane” before their name as a requirement.

War with all the Almighty

The Maniacs took in the YLO Disciples, Maniac Campbell Boys, Maniac Latin Stylers, Maniac Jatin Jivers, Maniac Latin Lovers, and the Maniac Milwaukee Kings. The Spanish Cobras and Insane familia took in the YLO Cobras, Insane Orquestra Albany, Insane Ashland Vikings, Insane Deuces, Insane Campbell Boys, Insane Dragons and the Insane Harrison Gents. In response to all this the Imperial Gangsters and Latin Eagles refused to take either side and refused to be taxed or ruled by either alliance so they started their own called the “almighty family.” This alliance originally consisted of Almighty Imperial Gangsters, Almighty Simon City Royals, Almighty Latin Eagles and the Almighty Insane Popes (North side). This of course meant a 3 way war between all these alliances.

In 1992 things got real bloody between the Cobras and the Simon City Royals. Now the Cobras were at war with two of the Almighty families and soon a third Almighty family would have conflict with the Cobras, the Imperial Gangsters.  As soon as war began with Imperial Gangsters word spread among Spanish Cobras lightning fast and within no time that day there was 10 car loads of Cobras at the intersection of Fullerton and Drake stopping traffic looking for Imperial Gangsters while dropping their gang sign in disrespect.  Eventually they found an Imperial Gangster and shot him then all hell broke loose.

The second war with the Maniacs

Another bad incident happened in April of 1992 when MLDs accused Orlando of the Spanish Cobras of selling them bad drugs, MLDs swiftly got vengeance by shooting Orlando to death which started a major riot in the streets between Cobras and Disciples that went on for two days and even made the news.  The Kedzie and Barry MLDs were the ones involved on the Disciple side.  The guns blazed all around Logan Square for those two days as both gangs were hitting each other hard back and forth until it was resolved.

The third war with the Maniacs, 1993

In November of 1993 the friction between Maniacs and Insanes boiled over some more after conflict exploded at a party at a corner house at California and Cortez in the East Humboldt Park neighborhood.  The Spanish Cobras and all their Insane family allies decided to throw a massive party that went into the late hours of the night.  The party was mainly thrown by Spanish Cobras, YLO Cobras, Insane Campbell Boys and Insane Dragons.  A live DJ was spinning that night and a dance floor was full of activity as the DJ spun away into the night while everyone was drinking and having a good time.  As the night progressed Maniac Latin Disciples from Talman and Washtenaw (Murder Town MLDs) heard about the party since they were just a few blocks away.  The Disciples felt they had ownership of California and Cortez and figured they can crash any party they want at any time and that’s exactly what happened.  These MLDs came to the party uninvited and began dancing on the dance floor in cocky way while waiving pistols in the air and showing them off.  All the Insanes were bothered right away by this cocky behavior and began griping to each other about how it was disrespectful but these MLDs felt it was disrespectful to have a party in their territory without an invite.  Some main members of the Spanish Cobras now gathered at the doorway which prompted one of the MLDs to act even more cocky while waving his pistol around.  The Cobras then threatened the MLDs and this prompted MLDs to gather reinforcements of their own and from allies, the Cobras followed suit.  Soon several members of the Spanish Cobras, YLO Cobras, Insane Dragons and Insane Campbell Boys gathered with guns in hand on one side of the street, while several Maniac Latin Disciples, YLO Disciples, Maniac Campbell Boys and Latin Jivers gathered on the opposite side of the street with guns in hand too.  Both sides gathered up while hurling insults and shouting at each other until there were about 150 gang members on each side of the street on each side, totaling 300 gang members in total!  By 3:30 in the morning the shouting conflict got violent as the guns started sparking and a violent gun fight ensued that last five minutes.  One of the Insane Dragons even began firing an Uzi at the Maniacs.  Store windows were being shot to pieces and cars roved the intersection doing drive by shootings at the crowds, the scene was total anarchy and chaos to the point that the Chicago police were too scared to show up. The crowds soon disbursed as they continued to blast at each other and this broke the violence into pockets all around the vicinity as you could hear gun shots echoing from all around.  It took the police nearly an hour to show up just after the Insane Dragons made another trip thundering down California looking for more MLDs to shoot at.  Several people were shot that night and the bad blood was becoming worse between Maniacs and Insanes, however, surprisingly after this gun battle peace came back upon the Maniacs and Insanes.

The fourth war with the Maniacs, 1994

In 1994 relations with Maniacs worsened when the Insane Campbell Boys shot and killed Nelson “Wolfie” Vargas who was a Maniac Latin Disciple.  The Disciples blamed the Cobras for the shooting even though it really was Cobra allies.  The shooting was done in front of Roberto Clemente School in broad daylight in front of everyone and since a Spanish Cobra was standing next to the shooter.  After this incident the Spanish Cobras forced the Insane Campbell Boys to close their operations immediately and many flipped to Spanish Cobras or Insane Dragons.

The taking of Jensen Park

On June 29, 1994, the Cobras defeated the Simon City Royals at Jensen Park in the Albany Park neighborhood and took it over.  The Royals planned on hitting the Cobras back and it resulted in the fatal shooting of Jacobo Lozada on the night of July 1st when, according to the court case of the People vs. Georgakapoulos three Royals emerged from an alley near the park and shot Lozada while he was riding a bicycle.  They only fired one bullet but the shot was accurate and enough to kill Lozada.  This started a permanent war between Cobras and Royals.

The fifth war with the Maniacs

In late 1994 or maybe early 1995, another war sparked off between Spanish Cobras and Maniac Latin Disciples that lasted two weeks and once again it was squashed but again this was another example of how relations were crumbling.

Latin Lovers and C-Notes in the family, Harrison Gents out of the family

By 1995 the followers of the Maniacs began to realize that being a Maniac was not what was right for them as they disagreed with MLDs’ taxes and rules and then declared war on them.  The Latin Jivers broke from the Maniacs and became Insane for maybe a year then went independent and went to war with the Cobras.  The Latin Lovers also dropped Maniac but they went over to Insane and stayed there. The Milwaukee Kings also broke away from Maniac but then stayed independent. The Cobras also experienced conflict with their own Harrison Gents, although it was not initially the Cobras’ fault that the HGs were leaving, it was because Ashland Vikings and HGs could not get along and the HGs left the Insanes in favor of the Almighty family where they remain today. The Cobras found a replacement for the Gents, the C-Notes who previously were an independent organization and a part of the UFO alliance.

The sixth war with the Maniacs: The Saint Valentines Massacre of 1996

On February 13, 1996 the Spanish Cobras made front page news when members of the Talman and Wabansia MLDs attempted a mass execution of members of the Spanish Cobras at three street corners in the East Humboldt Park neighborhood. Johnny “Don Loco” Almadovar ordered the murders of random Spanish Cobras to avenge the murder of a Maniac Latin Disciple member “Hi Lo” earlier that month. The shooting was carefully planned accept for the fact that the victims all survived the brutal executions. Initially, small groups of Cobras got revenge by shooting some MLDs on the streets and that was seen to the public eye as the revenge, but in reality the Cobras had a bigger, more behind the scenes, and patiently planned attack against the MLDs.

Spanish Cobra leaders met at a Day’s Inn Hotel on Mannheim Road near O’Hare Airport to plan a counterattack. The Cobras then picked out who they were going to kill and when. The hits would be coordinated with a police scanner. The Cobras also called up their allies to do the murders, the Insane Deuces, Latin Lovers etc….. The murders were carried out in various locations such as: Logan Square, East Village, Hermosa, Albany Park, Ravenswood section of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, Ukrainian Village section of the West Town neighborhood and the suburbs of Waukegan and Aurora. High ranking members were carefully executed by allies of the Cobras and these did not make headline news as tied together. The Cobra retaliation was indeed far more superior and clever than the Godfather Style hits by the MLDs in Humboldt Park (Hagedorn, The Insane Chicago Way, P. 193 and 194).

After the shootings war ensued for a few months until peace was established once again between Cobras and Disciples by the time the weather got nicer in 1996.

The final war with the Maniacs, an enemy for life

In 1997, the war went into permanent effect after the YLO Cobras shot and killed “Omski” from the MLDs in an Aldi parking lot on Armitage Avenue.  Omski was putting groceries in his car alongside his wife when he was “Lil Minor” a known YLOC gunner spotted him and gunned him down.  Omski was the chief of the Beldon and Kenneth chapter of MLDs and had a run in with Lil Minor and Omski pistol whipped Lil Minor some months prior, so Lil Minor was seeking revenge.  This sparked the MLDs and Spanish Cobras into permanent war that could only be frozen during the annual Puerto Rican day parade.

No more love for the Eagles

It was also the same year of 1997 that the Spanish Cobras kicked off into full fledged war with the Latin Eagles in all sections after Cobras killed “Mono” of the Eagles.

Cicero

In the year 1997, Spanish Cobras advanced into the suburb of Cicero at the intersection of 16^th Street and 47^th Court. Cicero was a tough suburb to break into because it was so gang infested and by 1997, it worsened as more gangs from all over Chicago now called it home. The Cobras in Cicero made lots of noise but had a unlikely friendship with Cicero Latin Counts until a fight broke out at a party at 18^th and 47^th after a Cobra smashed a beer bottle into a Latin Count’s teeth. After this incident the war with the Counts was costly and Cicero police were cracking down on the gangbanging heading into the 2000s, this Cobra section had to close.

No peace with the Maniacs: War forever

In the spring of 1999, the Maniac Latin Disciples and Spanish Cobra leadership decided it was finally time to end this vicious war between them and hold a peace conference at the YMCA located at 1834 North Lawndale Ave in the Logan Square neighborhood. Leaders of both Maniac street gangs like MLDs, YLO Disciples, Maniac Campbell Boys and Latin Stylers showed up, and leaders of the Insane family such as Spanish Cobras, YLO Cobras, Ashland Vikings, C-Notes, Insane Dragons, Latin Lovers and Orquestra Albany showed up. Peace was agreed upon right away and the bitter 1990s war of the Insanes and Maniacs was finally going to end; however, not all MLDs felt like it should end. The renegade group of MLD supports led by “Little Bum” did not attend the meeting instead they drove around the meeting and set up lots of teenage soldiers outside the meeting. When peace was announced the teens began screaming out gang slogans and screaming about how they wanted no peace. The leaders of the gangs then left the meeting in a hurry because bad stuff was about to go down. One MLD leader got stranded “Carlito” as he exited the meeting alone and when he stepped out from of the YMCA Thomas “Outlaw” Ross, a member of the MLDs, gunned him down. This brought the end not only to peace talks for the warring families but also for the whole SGD/La Tabla That June day of 1999 and brought the end of the old school gang ways as we know it and the SGD (Hagedorn, The Insane Chicago Way, P. 206).

By the year 2001, the elder Cobras and MLDs couldn’t even freeze the war for the Parades and carnivals as the war had gotten that bad.

Known sections of Spanish Cobras past and present

Albany Park neighborhood 1980s-present

Sections of Albany Park

Lawrence to Leland, Avers to Ridgeway

Lawrence & Lawndale

Argyle & Lawndale

Lawndale & Wilson (Jensen Park)

Avondale neighborhood 

Sections of Avondale

Barry to Milwaukee, Elbridge to Gresham

Drake & Wolfram

Belmont-Cragin neighborhood Established 1980-present years

Sections of Belmont-Cragin

Armitage to Grand, Cicero to La porte (Cicero Assassins) Established 1980-present years

George to Diversey, Lavergne to Cicero

Bridgeport neighborhood established 1958 as Loco De Culebro, as Spanish Cobras 1960

Sections of Bridgeport

31^st to 31^st Place, Halsted to Morgan (Bridgeport projects) Established 1958-1974

32^nd & Morgan Established 1960-1974

East Humboldt Park (West Town) neighborhood Established 1971-present years

Sections of East Humboldt Park

Division to Potomac, Campbell to Maplewood Established

Haddon & Washtenaw Established 1976

Artesian & Potomac Established 1973

Thomas & Campbell Established?

Artesian & Hirsch Established

Artesian & Lemoyne Established 1973

Fairfield & Lemoyne Established 1976

Evergreen & Washtenaw Established 1976

Garfield Ridge neighborhood established 1971-1974

Sections of Garfield Ridge

46^th & Lawler Established 1971-1974

Hermosa neighborhood established 1984-present years

Sections of Hermosa

Wrightwood to Fullerton, Kenton to Tripp (Killing Fields, Fullerton & Tripp No Love City) Established 1984-present years

Armitage to Bloomingdale, Lowell to Keeler

Kilbourn & Wrightwood (Kelvyn Park)

Diversey & Kilbourn

Dickens & Tripp Established 1984-present years

Logan Square neighborhood Established 1979-present years

Sections of Logan Square

Diversey to Wrightwood, Pulaski to Avers (Kosciuszko Park, Diversey & Avers shared with Orquestra Albany)

Diversey to Drummond, Monticello to St. Louis

Schubert to Wrightwood, Milwaukee to Kimball

Charleston to Armitage, Western to Rockwell

Wrightwood & Monticello

Lawndale from Diversey to Shubert

Dicken’s & Central Park Established 1985

Cortland & Mozart Established 1979

Francis & Stave Established 1985

Schubert & Avers Established 1990

McKinley Park neighborhood Established 1989-present years

Sections of McKinley Park

35^th to 36^th, Western to Oakley

Noble Square neighborhood Established 1980-1990s

Sections of Noble Square

Lemoyne from Bosworth to Ashland 1980-1990s

West Humboldt Park neighborhood Established 1976-present years

Sections of West Humboldt Park

Bloomindale to Wabansia, Tripp to Kedvale (Snake Pit) Established 1976-present years

North Ave to Hirsch, Lemoyne to Ridgeway Established 1976-present years

Ridgeway to Hamlin, Division to Thomas Established 1976-present years

Suburbs

Cicero 16^th & 47^th 1997-2000s

Bensenville Established 1984-2000s

Carpentersville

Waukegan

Wheeling early 80s-90s

Bloomingdale early 80s

Deerfield

Elmwood Park

Northlake

Prospect Heights early 80s-1994

Rolling Meadows early 80s

Des Planes 1984-1990

Hanover Park 1985-mid 90s