Escobar party in Son Oliveret: Why do we celebrate criminals — and how do we stop it?

Escobar party in Son Oliveret: Why do we celebrate criminals — and how do we stop it?

A critical assessment after the police operation against an illegal party with around 200 guests

On Sunday afternoon approximately 200 people gathered under large tents in the Son Oliveret housing estate in Sant Jordi. Repeated complaints about loud music prompted the police operation; when patrol cars arrived, officers stopped the event and reported the organizers for unauthorized activities. Strikingly, a decorative piece shaped like a small airplane stood at the entrance, which many residents associated with the legendary hacienda of a Colombian drug baron.

Main question: Why do people allow an event that openly uses the aesthetics and symbols of a convicted drug dealer — and what does this say about rules, control and the sense of responsibility in our neighborhoods?

Critical analysis: At first glance it looks like a classic noise disturbance with illegal character. But the case has several layers. First: the romanticization of criminal actors is not harmless. A decorative airplane as an entry scene is more than kitsch; it is an imagery that can trivialize conflict, violence and smuggling. Second: law enforcement acted, as so often, reactively rather than preventively. Neighbors had to call repeatedly before the music finally stopped. In the meantime live bands played and there was security at the entrance — the pattern of a commercial event without a permit.

What is missing in the public discourse: There is a lot of reporting about police operations and noise complaints, but hardly any about the causes of such staging. Who organizes these parties? Who benefits financially? And above all: how do the people whose everyday lives are disturbed or threatened by such events feel? In Son Oliveret residents spoke of intimidation and growing feelings of insecurity — a side that rarely finds room in quick reports.

Everyday scene from the island: Imagine it is late afternoon in Sant Jordi. On one side the airport runway, which occasionally carries a dull engine thump over the settlement; on the other side bass waves from a tent vibrate through open windows. A woman in house slippers steps onto the sidewalk, knocks on a neighbor's door that already has the shutters half down. The smell of fried food mixes with exhaust fumes and a child screams in the distance. This is how a picture emerges of how closely normal life and disruptive events lie together here.

Concrete solutions: 1) Besides punctual operations, more consistent pre-checks of event venues are needed; municipalities should set up clearer reporting procedures and low-threshold controls. 2) Visible, daytime prevention work — contact persons in the neighborhoods who check in advance whether applications exist and who is responsible. 3) Sanctions not only against those responsible on site, but also against profiteers: when an entrance fee is charged and income flows, this should be legally pursued. 4) Education and awareness: schools and youth centers can inform about the consequences of drug trafficking and violence so that glorification does not become normal. 5) Stronger cooperation between neighborhood representatives and the police, including rapid response teams during hours with high noise disturbance.

What authorities can do immediately: clearer information obligations for organizers, mandatory registration of smaller parties above a certain number of attendees, and a hotline for neighbors with a guaranteed response time. In practice this means: do not wait for 20 calls, but systematically check at the first complaint whether an event is permitted.

Why this matters: The island depends on its social fabric. If public spaces become the stage for the glorification of criminal figures, it undermines neighborhood trust — and makes it harder to tackle real problems like drug crime. Party decor that evokes airplane transports is not a harmless prank; it is an image with history and consequences.

Pointed conclusion: The police acted correctly when they broke up an unauthorized large event. But operations alone are not enough. We need a system that works preventively, that empowers neighbors and that prohibits turning violence and trafficking into an aesthetic spectacle. Son Oliveret is a place where normality and disruption sit closely together — it is up to us to draw the line.