Spain jails Latin Kings gang boss Vara Velastegui

 Spain jails Latin Kings gang boss Vara Velastegui: "The three most senior leaders of a Spanish gang that grew out of a violent Hispanic organisation have been jailed by a court in Madrid.

The gang's Ecuadorean boss, Eric Javier Vara Velastegui, is already in prison but prosecutors said he continued to run the gang while under lock and key.

He was sentenced to four more years, with key lieutenants sentenced to two years and three-and-a-half years.

The Latin Kings grew in 1940s Chicago and later spread through the US.

According to the judgement the organisation was based fundamentally on violence, both towards its own members and towards rival gangs, Spain's Efe news agency reports.

Most members of the Latin Kings are thought to be migrants from Latin America.

It retains its violent reputation even though some efforts have been made to integrate the gang into local culture, especially in Catalonia, where it is not banned."