Known by the codename King Wolverine, Vara Velastegui is regarded as the 'king of kings' among Spain-based gangs, according the the country's El Pais newspaper.

"Known by the codename King Wolverine, Vara Velastegui is regarded as the 'king of kings' among Spain-based gangs, according the the country's El Pais newspaper.

Jose Fabricio Icaza, known as The Prince, was given a three-and-a-half-year term, while Maria Torres - The Godmother - was sentenced to two years.

As well as jailing the three gang leaders, the Madrid court ordered the Latin Kings to be disbanded, in line with a previous ruling from 2007. Prosecutors said that judgement was flouted by Vara Velastegui.

He is already behind bars serving a sentence for murder but is thought to have retained control of the Latin Kings criminal network while serving his time.

The sentences end a long legal battle by the gang members, who had appealed against earlier judgements ordering the dissolution of the group.

They claimed that testimony given anonymously in court during a previous trial had infringed their rights by preventing them from knowing the identity of their accusers."