A member of one of the best-known families of Son Banya, the Palma settlement notorious for drug dealing, has been arrested for the third time in just over a month. The man, known as “El Ico”, is the son of the clan’s matriarch.
The latest incident
According to the police, on a Sunday evening El Ico went to Son Banya with his mother, where they encountered a woman suspected of selling drugs. When she tried to leave, her husband intervened and a fight broke out.
Police say El Ico attacked the man with a knife, injuring his ear and his face, wounds that required stitches in hospital. He is also accused of grabbing the man’s partner and cutting off some of her hair with the blade.
El Ico denies using a knife, but admits swinging an iron bar during the fight. Officers noted minor injuries on him and his mother.
A breach of a court order
El Ico was already subject to a court order banning him from going within one kilometre of Son Banya. When police tried to arrest him, he attempted to run away but was caught after a short chase.
A pattern
This is his third arrest in a little over a month. According to the police:
- Late June: he was arrested in Palma after allegedly threatening two young men with what turned out to be an air pistol to steal their electric scooters, while driving with a suspended licence.
- Early July: he allegedly turned up armed at Son Llàtzer hospital and threatened several people before police intervened.
- This incident: the alleged attack in Son Banya and breach of the restraining order.
All the allegations will have to be proved in court.
What happens next
The courts will now have to decide whether to impose stricter measures, which could include custody while the cases are investigated.
Son Banya
Son Banya, on the outskirts of Palma near the airport, has been the target of numerous police operations against drug trafficking over the past three decades. The authorities have repeatedly announced plans to dismantle the settlement and rehouse its residents, but progress has been slow, and it remains one of the main drug-selling points in Mallorca.
