MADRID, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Madrid police say animal remains and other voodoo symbols in parks are the work of gangsters trying to scare immigrants from Africa and South America.
Street cleaners and Madrid residents say they have made grisly discoveries, especially on Mondays, Think Spain reports.
"I was walking my dog when I saw a cow's tongue with voodoo needles stuck in it hanging from a tree in the park next to the Cathedral," said Almudena Montero, who photographed the tongue a few weeks ago.
Police investigators say the parks are "dead ground" to believers in voodoo, a suitable location for ceremonies and symbols. They have also been found along the Manzanares River, because running water is also desirable.
"It is very common amongst mafia. They use it for extortion, especially to put the frighteners on Senegalese, Nigerian or Brazilian prostitutes, who believe in voodoo and Santeria, and its potential influence over their families," a police official said.
