Patron saints of Venezuelan gangland crime

IN VENEZUELA, thugs are worshipped as saints: but instead of lighting votive candles, followers light cigarettes and place them in the mouths of statues. Karina Perdomo, a lively 22-year-old woman dressed in a tight black shirt, stares blankly at the figure of a saint in the General Cemetery in southern Caracas, puffing on a cigar absent-mindedly. He is the king of the santos malandros or holy thugs, a group of popular saints who were petty criminals in life and were gunned down by the police in the 1960s and 1970s.

Growing numbers of Venezuelans revere them, despite the fact they are not recognised by the church. It is an increasingly typical feature of Catholicism in Latin America, where religion is mixed with non-Christian figures and beliefs.

The popularity of the dead hoodlums has soared since the rise in crime during the last decade and has become almost a trend in the past few years.

"I come here since the death of my fiancé two years ago, he was shot in the lung by a guy who wanted to steal his motorbike," Karina says, fighting back her tears. "I waited nine months for justice to be made but nothing happened. So I came here devastated, and asked Ismael for the killer to be arrested, and two days later he was caught – it's a miracle. He means everything to me, protects me, my family, I come here at least once every month."

As she speaks, a teenager arrives, and bends down to tap the stone grave to salute the saint, carefully lighting a cigarette in the statue's mouth. The youngster's name is Johnny, and he has come here to ask Ismael to ensure he's not to be captured by the police. "He's my only hope, I'm alive thanks to him, I was shot 22 times," he says, lifting his T-shirt to show his scars.

Ismael's real name was Francisco Carrillo and his grave was built 25 years ago. He is revered as a Robin Hood figure, stealing money from the rich to give to the poor. He shares the plot of land in the heart of the cemetery with other holy thugs, including Miguelito who belonged to Ismael's gang; Tomasito, whom legend has it was killed by 132 bullets; El Raton (The Mouse), Petroleo Crudo (Crude Oil), and the Malandra Isabelita.

All saints "belong" to the entourage of Maria Lionza, the fertility goddess whose massive statue dominates the highway leading to Caracas. She stands at the heart of an ethnic trilogy of spirits, including her companions Guaicaipuro and the black slave rebel, Negro Felipe.

Ismael and the other holy thugs form the corte malandra or thug court, the latest to be added to the cult of Maria Lionza. Other courts include the corte medica (medical court) based in a nearby pantheon, consisting of doctors who are believed to be responsible for healing miracles and whose leader, Jose Gregorio Hernandez, may soon be canonised by the Catholic Church.

But holy thugs rank lowest in the saintly hierarchy, since they are regarded as spirits of "low light" who, in order to gain redemption in death, must undo the harm they committed.

This explains why many santeros or spiritual practitioners shun them. But it does not stop their followers leaving small offerings like beer, anisette liquor and even knives, asking for protection, a son to be released from prison or even to be blessed with luck before committing a crime.

"I've seen everyone here, even policemen and church members. Rich people arrive in nice cars, stop there and come to ask for favours from Ismael. It's one of the most visited graves in the cemetery," says William Contreras, the cemetery's manager, as he points to the passage leading to the graves, now decorated as shrines, of the holy thugs.

The thugs' popularity is so widespread that those who do not want to visit the cemetery can buy figurines of Ismael and others at the bustling market located outside the cemetery gates, next to stands selling beer, clothes and flowers for the dead.

Silvia Correya, the owner of one of the stores, explains that clients prefer replicas of Ismael, which cost 25,000 Bolivars (£7). "People have been buying these saints for a long time, but since the last two or three years mainly youngsters and malandros have been buying them, it's become a real fashion," he said.

BACKGROUND

CARACAS is one of the most dangerous cities in Latin America with 130 murders per 100,000 people, compared to Britain's two per 100,000, according to the Foreign Policy Journal. The number of murders in Venezuela has soared from less than 6,000 during 1999 – the first year in office for President Hugo Chavez – to more than 13,000 last year, official figures show.

And in 2006, the United Nations estimated that per capita there were more deaths from guns than anywhere else in the world. Shootings are common in poor urban neighbourhoods and kidnapping is a problem, especially along the Colombian border.

Crime as a whole is now worse than neighbouring Colombia, that is in the grip of a four-decades-old civil conflict. In April 2007, officials in Caracas tried to make the city safer by using three mini remote-controlled airships to monitor criminal activity from the skies. Each had a camera that beamed back pictures to a control room.