Mexican Hoon Cartel burning rubber and causing chaos on Gold Coast streets

TYRES are spinning, the music is blaring and the idiots behind the camera are cackling like a bunch of children in on the latest joke. Meet the Mexican Hoon Cartel.

TYRES are spinning, the music is blaring and the idiots behind the camera are cackling like a bunch of children in on the latest joke.

They call themselves the Mexican Hoon Cartel although, in reality, they are a group of reckless drivers who are endangering the lives of other road users and themselves.

And like a growing number of law breakers on the Gold Coast, they are seeking notoriety by posting their exploits to social media, encouraging their 11,000-strong group of followers to mimic their actions.

A group of Gold Coast hoons calling themselves the "Mexican Hoon Cartel" have been terrorising suburban streets around the city.

They call each other sicarios, which roughly translates from Spanish to hitman.

A number of the videos show drivers who are out of control on the road, while still on their red P plates.

In several of the videos the drivers are driving at breakneck speeds around corners, sometimes on deserted roads, but more concerning on busy highways where other motorists are just going about their business.

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A car drifting across three lanes at more than 100km/h along the highway comes alarmingly close to a group of cars ahead of it, seemingly out of control, sliding across the highway.

In posts on social media hoons threaten neighbourhoods where people complain to police about their skidding and dangerous driving.

The reckless drivers are posting to social media.

“The cartel is lurking. We are coming for ur street. We are coming for your driveway. Most importantly we are coming because of ur hate. Keep snitching on us and we will rape ur quiet little neighborhood (sic),” the post reads.

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The page has recently gone quiet, not posting since July 29, after posting several times a week for months since the page’s inception in early June.

Acting Chief Superintendent Dave Cuskelly said police were aware of hooning behaviour on the Gold Coast.

“Police are well aware of it and have spent a lot of time, effort and strategy around responding to complaints from the public in relation to any hooning, or organised hooning,” he said.

The group do burnouts and skid on the road.

“At the end of the day it’s about road safety, it’s about other road users and behaving responsibly behind the wheel.”

Supt Cuskelly said the drivers in the videos had no idea how quickly lives could be destroyed.

“People don’t realise how quickly things can turn absolutely horrific, and how remorseful people are after the fact doesn’t comfort the people whose life they’ve just destroyed.

“That’s the crux of it.

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“If they could hit pause and rewind the moment again, 100 times out of 100 they would go back and change their behaviour, so why don’t they do it before they start the engine?

Car crash victim Kelly Henry's memorial at Barokee Drive, Tanah Merah. Pic Jono Searle

Kelly Henry was a bubbly teenager before she was killed in a car accident.

“Every time we lose someone in the community to a fatal traffic accident, we’re constantly reminded of the ongoing dangers of people behind the wheel.

“And those people who act irresponsibly do so with very little foresight about what can go wrong and how quickly it can go wrong and that’s what we as police are reminded of every time we go out to a tragic event.

“Usually the kids behind these wheels have never been exposed to the reality of road trauma and they just don’t think it will happen to them … I don’t think people understand the consequences of what they do and how quickly it can turn bad.”

Police are aware of the group and are investigating illegal behaviour.

Assistant Commissioner Brian Wilkins said police would use all their powers to catch them.

“It’s extremely dangerous and we will use all our powers to find and prosecute them,” Mr Wilkins said.

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RACQ head of safety policy Steve Spalding said the statistics were against young males driving, with research showing they were more likely to be involved in crashes.

“It’s stupid and irresponsible behaviour and to post it on social media sends all the wrong messages to other people,” he said.

“It encourages others to treat it in a trivial or entertainment manner and it is so easy to lose control of a car and destroy the lives of another road user or a family who have done nothing wrong, other than to be in an area where you’re driving stupidly.

“Many young and inexperienced drivers, particularly young males, would not realise the research is stacked heavily against them. They have a much higher crash risk … we know immaturity, lack of experience and overconfidence lead them to do things that are dangerous and are outside of their skills.

“Five minutes of fame counts for nothing if you’ve got lifelong injuries from a moment of stupidity.”