Ismael Sanchez. Standing at about three feet tall, with a sideways baseball hat and permanent cigarette dangling from his bottom lip, Ismael is the leader of the Santos Malandros (in English, the Holy Thugs)—a collection of dead saints with a shared history of criminal activity. Ismael is a dapper little fellow, sporting wraparound sunglasses, bright accents on his shirt to compliment his baggy pants, and shiny new Nike sneakers to match the swoosh on his cap.

In Caracas, Venezuela, residents turn to Santos Malandros, or holy thugs, for protection, offering them beer and cigarettes in return.

They gather in the cemetery, sometimes by the dozens, kneeling in prayer, drinking liquor and smoking cigarettes as offerings to the small statue of the long-dead robber Ismael.

Ismael is a member of Venezuela's pantheon of "Santos Malandros" — or Holy Thugs. The faithful believe these former criminals are seeking to atone for their past lives by providing protection from today's lawbreakers who call on them in a country struggling with rampant crime and one of the world's highest murder rates.

The rising popularity of the cult has brought a proliferation of shops selling statuettes representing Santos Malandros, figures brandishing firearms and knives, or wearing sunglasses, jeans and colorful shirts.

IG: ‪@RapmythologyRoR‬

#rapshorts #Hiphopshorts #occultshorts #mysticshorts #chaos #Gangstashorts