Five people have been arrested in Vitoria-Gasteiz for their alleged links to the violent youth gang '015'

The Civil Guard has arrested in Vitoria-Gasteiz five persons suspected of belonging to the violent youth group '015', who have been charged with various offences, and three searches have been carried out, two in the homes of alleged prominent members and one in a storage room.

The investigation found that the '015' group was formed in the Alavesa capital by imitation of violent youth organizations such as' Blood 'and' Trinitarios', which had previously been disbanded by the Civil Guard in Álava and whose members reproduced the structure and functioning of these other groups.

The five detainees are charged with the offences of criminal group membership, robbery with violence and intimidation, public health offences, conspiracy to commit robbery with violence and intimidation and illegal possession of weapons.

Between 2021 and 2025, the Civil Guard dismantled two groups of violent young people in Álava, who also had a presence in other parts of the state. The first intervention in 2021 made it possible to detect for the first time that such an organization had settled in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

These organizations have specific structures, rules of conduct, internal discipline and a hierarchy of varying degrees which, according to the Civil Guard, respond to the intention to increase territorial control, as well as to their power and capacity to commit crimes.

Among the ways to identify them are their own colors and symbols, tattoos, pendants, hand gestures and graffiti to mark the areas they have under their control. They also use social media to show their aesthetics, their weapons and their attacks, spread content aimed at their opponents and attract new members.

The Civil Guard has warned that these groups use violence and attract minors to commit crimes by taking advantage of their lower criminal responsibility, which may cause social alarm in the neighbourhoods and villages wherethey are established.