Juvenile Spanish Delinquency in late 70s, 80s and 90s

After the 40-year dictatorship occurred in Spain last century, Spanish people suffered an extraordinarily financial and employment crisis, which led Spain to one of the hardest times ever known. Franco's dictatorship meant poverty and a lack of infrastructures in the country, although the national health care system was established and the economy was balanced and regulated by the very regime.

The late 70s  practically supposed a freedom blast for art, politics, press and socially, on the whole, Spanish citizens were repressed not only by social biases solely for women.  It was sociably frowned being single and having children or even just having fun. However, Spain was crowded with humble, kind people even though Spain's history is darkened by many crimes not only during the dictatorship period, also in the democracy period establishment.

This after-dictatorship period disclosed poverty and illiteracy, public emergent at every city outskirts. City's outskirts were inhabited by rural agrarian families who migrated from the countryside to big cities seeking a working and economical enhancement. Outskirts housing buildings were built up in no time, thus these suburbs had no basic facilities such as medical centre, electricity, water supply and schools.

In these severe circumstances proliferated teen delinquency quickly. Gangs were rapidly formed due to the fault of working opportunities longing to help their families. Those teen gangs used to assault violently banks, robbing women bag, breaking into houses or stealing cars, characterizing road chases by police forces. These young offenders were named as “quinquis”.

Besides, it is necessary to introduce a crucial new element that hardened young organized crime at that time, drug abuse, particularly heroin. From then on, young suburb delinquents, not only committed crimes for the economy and working situation but also for funding their heroin dependence.

It is well-known heroin was mysteriously introduced in Spain in the late 70s and was commercialized, at least in part, by police and influential people. That is somewhat which has not been examined properly by no government in the past 40 years and needless to say it should have been reviewed.

Some of the most remarkable "quinquis" delinquents became pretty popular among the population, being idolised as heroes. For instance, teen boys as "El Jaro" or "El Vaquilla" turned into famous burglars in cities as Madrid or Barcelona.  

Some film directors as Eloy De la Iglesia, Carlos Saura or Jose Antonio de la Loma started carrying out a new film Spanish genre about juvenile delinquency and heroin abuse (called "quinqui cinema"), in which movies main characters were portrayed by actual offenders as "El Torete".

Eloy de la Iglesia was also a notable filmmaker who was even addicted to heroin as well as his actors. His films, on the whole, were influenced by Stanley Kubrick and the Nouvelle Vague, furthermore, his filmography is pure gold, leaving films as "Colegas", and the unconventional "El Pico" and "El Pico 2".

In some way, these movies related how hopeless looked young offender's lives regarding crime, drugs and police abuse. Almost all the actual actors of "quinqui cinema" passed away on the grounds of a heroin overdose, aids or in prison. They knew that way of life so well, consequently "quinqui" genre film displays realism though actors were not professional at all. Somehow, unwillingly, they implemented the "Live Fast, Die Young" nihilist philosophy as a way of life.

This reality in Spain has been a burden until the late 1990s when there were still young people torn apart by heroin abuse. The heroin devastated not only young people but also ruined families due to drug debts. It was heartbreaking to see how a mother was looking for her son or daughter for days because they suddenly disappeared and maybe they were already dead from an overdose. Parents robbed by their children addicted to heroin ended up in bankruptcy. This is part of our recent history.

As I mentioned earlier, I really believe that there was a great interest in heroin trafficking during those years. The socialist government caused a deep financial crisis and perhaps the introduction of heroin was a strategy to repress the young rebels. The percentage of heroin addicts was not the same throughout Spain. Regions such as the Basque Country, Barcelona, ​​Madrid and specific cities had a tremendous percentage of consumers addicted to heroin, as well as crime.

Even the terrorist organisation, E.T.A., combated heroin trafficking in the Basque country, where the strain of heroin was pretty harmful. The E.T.A. purposes were indeed using young Basque people to confront the socialist government and training them as professional assassins, so they needed them in good shape and health.

At present young people do not know anything about that time, we do not show it in schools, we do not tell it, but it is very important to remark that heroin took away so many lives, as a war. We cannot forget those victims, not just the addicted-to-heroin people, but as well as families who suffered so much without eventually knowing the truth. We demand the truth. We want corrupters names and how it started to be distributed by Spain and why.