Isha Sesay
A TOTAL of 12 men have been arrested for allegedly participating in a brutal attack on two police officers.
On Sunday, November 22, Policia Nacional agents went to Palma’s Son Banya shanty town to arrest Jose FT, also known as ‘Chenchito’.
Chenchito was wanted in connection to a brutal attack on four policemen and has an extensive criminal history of drug trafficking.
According to investigators, more than 100 people congregated outside Chenchito’s home to stop the capture.
The mob surrounded two police officers and hurled stones at them.
These agents were then kicked and punched until they fell to the ground.
Another officer was bitten by Chenchito while attempting to cuff him, with another being punched in the face.
Chenchito was able to flee and was arrested days later after being found hiding out in the estate.
Days after the attack, the ‘mayor’ of Son Banya, Antonio Amaya, said in an interview with Diario de Mallorca that ‘he would not help police hand over anyone’.
He said: “We are not going to stop the police. If they have to arrest someone, they should do it, but we are not going to do their job for them.”
Among those arrested is Joaquin Fernandez Cortes, popularly known as ‘El Sansito’.
He is a son of ‘La Paca’, accused of participating in an attack on police officers when they tried to arrest ‘Nano’, one of his nephews.
Son Banya is renowned for being the epicentre of drug dealing in Mallorca with a long history of disputes with police and controlled by gypsy clans.
In 2017, government officials ordered for its total demolition, offering its inhabitants attractive relocation packages as well as generous housing benefits.
During the state of alarm, a barricade was mounted at the town’s only access point to make clear that outsiders would not be welcome.
Made up of sofas, garbage bins and concrete slabs, the roadblock was accompanied by a large sign reading: “No one from outside the town is allowed to pass. Coronavirus.”
