A drug cartel is a

criminal organization In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

composed of independent

drug lords A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise. Crime barons may be difficult to bring to justice: usually, they do not possess illegal goods. Ra ...

who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the

illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drug prohibition, prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibitionism, prohibit trade, exce ...

. Drug cartels form with the purpose of controlling the

supply Supply or supplies may refer to: *The amount of a resource that is available **Supply (economics), the amount of a product which is available to customers **Materiel, the goods and equipment for a military unit to fulfill its mission *Supply, as ...

of the illegal drug trade and maintaining prices at a high level. The formations of drug cartels are common in

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

countries.

Rivalries A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

between multiple drug cartels cause them to wage turf wars against each other. Drug cartels often transport both

drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

and

narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

, and most often the term "Narcotics cartel" is not used to describe an organization that transports the latter legally defined set of illegal substances, such as marijuana.

Structure

The basic structure of a drug cartel is as follows:

Falcons

Considered as the "eyes and ears" of the streets, the "falcons" are the lowest rank in any drug cartel. They are scouts, who are responsible for conducting

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

, such as reporting the activities of the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

, the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

and rival groups.

Hitmen

The armed group within the drug cartel, responsible for carrying out assassinations, kidnappings, thefts and extortions, operating protection rackets, as well as defending their ''plaza'' (turf) from rival groups and the military.

Lieutenants

The second highest position in the drug cartel organization, responsible for supervising the hitmen and falcons within their own territory. They are allowed to carry out low-profile murders without permission from their bosses.

Drug lords

Drug lord A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise. Crime barons may be difficult to bring to justice: usually, they do not possess illegal goods. Ra ...

s are the highest position in any drug cartel, responsible for supervising the entire drug industry, appointing territorial leaders, making alliances, in addition to planning high-profile murders.

Other roles

There are other operating groups within the drug cartels. For example, the drug producers and suppliers, although not considered in the basic structure, are critical operators of any drug cartel, along with the

smugglers Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

distributors A distributor is an electric and mechanical device used in the ignition system of older spark-ignition engines. The distributor's main function is to route electricity from the ignition coil to each spark plug at the correct time. Design A ...

, sales representatives,

accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certif ...

s and money launderers. Furthermore, the arms suppliers operate in a completely different circle; they are technically not considered part of the cartel's logistics.

Africa

Cape Verdean organized crime Cape Verdean organized crime refers to the various criminal organizations that are active in Cape Verde & Cape Verdean diaspora communities. Cape Verde is important as a transshipment point in the cocaine trade, and the existence of sizeable Cape ...

Mungiki Mungiki is a banned ethnic organisation in Kenya. The name (''mũngĩkĩ'', ) means "a united people" or "multitude" in the Kikuyu language. The religion, which apparently originated in the late 1980s, is secretive and bears some similarity to myst ...

Kinnear, Karen L (2009) ''Gangs: a reference handbook'', ABC-CLIO, *

Organized crime in Nigeria Organizing or organized may refer to: * Organizing (management), a process of coordinating task goals and activities to resources * Community organizing, in which communities come together to act in their shared self-interest * Professional organi ...

Shanty, Frank & Mishra, Patit (2007) ''Organized crime : from trafficking to terrorism'', ABC-CLIO, **

Confraternities in Nigeria Confraternities in Nigeria are secretive student groups within Nigerian higher education that have been involved in violence and organized crime since the 1980s. The exact death toll of confraternity activities is unclear. One estimate in 2002 w ...

***

Black Axe (organized crime group) The Black Axe is an international confraternity with roots in Nigeria. Originally formed from and inspired by the Neo Black Movement of Africa (NBM), it was established at the University of Benin ( Benin City, Edo State) as part of the Pan-A ...

** Anini gang *

Mai-Mai The term Mai-Mai or Mayi-Mayi refers to any kind of community-based militia group active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that is formed to defend local communities and territory against other armed groups. Most were formed to resis ...

militia gangs * Moroccan hashish smugglers ** Ahmed organization

Americas

North America

Canada

* Rivard organization *

Red Scorpions The Red Scorpions is a gang based in British Columbia, Canada. It was formed in 2003 by Quang Vinh Thang Le (known as Michael Le), Tejinder Malli, Konaam Shirzad, Matthew Johnston, and one other un-named young offender. Michael Le testified at ...

* Bacon Brothers *

United Nations gang The United Nations (UN) is a criminal gang that originated in the Vancouver, British Columbia area. History Formation The UN gang was formed in Abbotsford in 1997 by a group of high-school friends from around the Fraser Valley. The founder of ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

West End Gang The West End Gang () is a Canadian organized crime group in Montreal, Quebec. An Irish mob group originating from the Irish-Canadian ethnic enclave of Pointe-Saint-Charles in the 1950s, the majority of the gang's earnings were initially derived ...

** Blass gang ** Dubois Brothers *

Indo-Canadian organized crime Indo-Canadian organized crime is made up predominantly of young adults and teenagers of Indian ethnic, cultural and linguistic background. Collectively, these groups are among the top 5 major homegrown organized crime hierarchy across the nati ...

** Punjabi Mafia ਜੌਹਲ ਗਿਰੋਹ (Canada)Schneider, Stephen (2009) ''Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada'', John Wiley and Sons, *Canadian mafia families **

Rizzuto crime family The Rizzuto crime family () is an Italian Canadian crime family based in Montreal, Quebec, whose organized crime activity covers most of southern Quebec and Ontario. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers the family a ...

Cotroni crime family The Cotroni crime family, originally CotroneAuger and Edwards ''The Encyclopedia of Canadian Organized Crime'' p.63. (), was an Italian Canadian crime family based in Montreal, Quebec. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) consi ...

Musitano crime family The Musitano crime family (), also known as Musitano 'ndrina, is a 'Ndrangheta organized crime family based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, while another branch of it is active in Platì in Southern Italy and Buccinasco and Bareggio in Norther ...

Papalia crime family The Papalia crime family () also known as Papalia 'ndrina, is a 'Ndrangheta organized crime family based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, as well as Platì in Southern Italy and Buccinasco in Northern Italy. Another branch of the family is based in ...

Luppino crime family The Luppino crime family, () also known as the Luppino-Violi crime family, is an 'Ndrangheta organized crime family based and founded in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in the 1950s by Giacomo Luppino. The Luppino family is one of three centralized Ma ...

Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan The Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan () was a Mafia clan of the Cosa Nostra and held a key position in the illicit drug trade and money laundering for Cosa Nostra in the 1980s and 1990s. The Italian press baptized the clan as "The Rothschilds of the ...

** Perri crime family **

Siderno Group The Siderno Group is a criminal association in Canada, Australia and Italy related to the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organization in Calabria. The association is labelled the "Siderno Group" because its members primarily came from the town of Side ...

Commisso 'ndrina The Commisso 'ndrina () is a powerful clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organization in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Siderno, but also has a branch in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada as part of the Siderno Gro ...

Mexico

Mexican cartels (also known in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

as: ''la Mafia'' (the

mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

or the mob), ''La Maña'' (the skill / the bad manners), ''narcotraficantes'' (narco-traffickers), or simply as ''narcos'' usually refers to several, rival, criminal organizations that are combated by the Mexican government in the Mexican War on Drugs (List sorted by branches and heritage): Mexican academic Oswaldo Zavala, in his book '' Drug Cartels Do Not Exist'', argues that academics, officials, journalists and writers are mistaken to label the criminal gangs as cartels, noting that they do not meet the definition due to the competitive nature of the drugs trade, and the lack of hierarchal structure. He states that the Mexican state perpetuates the label to justify their militarised response.ANÍBAL GÓMEZ, O. ''Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narco-Trafficking and Culture in the US and Mexico''. Chasqui (01458973), '' . l.', v. 51, n. 2, pp. R29–R31, 2022. Disponível em: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=159559885&site=eds-live&scope=site . Accessed: 6 June 2023. According to some observers in 2010,

Los Zetas Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate and designated terrorist organization, known as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent " shock and awe" tactics suc ...

instituted social media demonstrations of torture and sadism in their reprisals which changed the rules of the game among the Mexican cartels. The level of violence and social instability greatly increased during the presidency of

Felipe Calderon Felipe is the Spanish variant of the name Philip, which derives from the Greek adjective ''Philippos'' "friend of horses". Felipe is also widely used in Portuguese-speaking Brazil alongside Filipe, the form commonly used in Portugal. Noteworthy ...

. The Calderon and Foxe administrations worked closer with American law enforcement and utilized the military forces which led to some confusion among local law enforcement in public security and a variety of human rights abuses and corruption. The former head of Mexican law enforcement,

Genaro García Luna Genaro García Luna (born 10 July 1968) is a Mexican former government official and convicted drug trafficker. From 2006 to 2012, he served as Secretary of Public Security during the administration of Felipe Calderón. He was later found to hav ...

, was sentenced in the Eastern District of New York on October 16, 2024 for his role in

Sinaloa Cartel The Sinaloa Cartel (, , after the native Sinaloa region), also known as the ''CDS'', the ''Guzmán-Loera Organization'', the ''Federation'', the ''Sinaloa Cartel'', or the Pacific Cartel, is a large, drug trafficking transnational organized cri ...

associated drug trafficking in the United States. Note: As of 2020 the DEA considered the cartels of Sinaloa-Beltran, Juarez-Linea, Jalisco, Golfo-Noreste-Zetas, La Familia and Rojos-Guerreros to be the most influential cartels in Mexico. * ''

Gulf Cartel The Gulf Cartel ( , or ''Golfos'') is a criminal syndicate, Drug cartel, drug trafficking organization, and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, which is perhaps one of the oldest organized crime groups in Mexico. It is currently bas ...

'' (The oldest Mexican criminal syndicate, started as Prohibition-era bootlegging gang) **

(Formerly part of the Gulf Cartel, now independent) **

La Familia Michoacana La Familia Michoacana (, LFM; English: ''The Michoacán Family''), La Familia (English: ''The Family''), is a Mexican drug cartel & organized crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Michoacán. They are known to produce large amounts of m ...

(Formerly a branch of the Gulf Cartel, then went independent) **

Knights Templar Cartel The Knights Templar Cartel (, ) was a Mexican criminal organization originally composed of the remnants of La Familia Michoacana drug cartel based in the Mexican State of Michoacán. The Knights Templar Cartel used to indoctrinate its operati ...

(Splintered from La Familia Cartel) * ''

'' (Spawned from the Guadalajara Cartel) **

Colima Cartel The Colima Cartel () was a Mexican drug trafficking and methamphetamine producing cartel operating in Guadalajara, Jalisco. It was founded and led by José de Jesús Amezcua Contreras and supported by his brothers Adán and Luis. The Colima ...

(members are now a branch of the Sinaloa Cartel) **

Sonora Cartel The Sonora Cartel, also known as Caro Quintero Organization, was a Mexico based criminal cartel. Upon the cartel's disintegration, its leaders were incorporated into the Tijuana Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel. By 2007, the Sonora Cartel, Colima Car ...

(was reformed in 2018 and is still a branch of the Sinaloa Cartel) **

Los Ántrax Los Ántrax is a large enforcer unit and hit squad for the Sinaloa Cartel, a major crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The group was led by the drug lords Jesús Victoriano (alias "El 20"), José Rodrigo Aréchiga Gamboa (alia ...

(enforcer squad) Sinaloa Cartel Drug Tunnel

** La Resistencia (Splintered from the Milenio Cartel; disbanded) **

Jalisco New Generation Cartel The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (, ), or CJNG, is a Mexican Organized crime, criminal syndicate, based in Jalisco and headed by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho"). The drug cartel, cartel has been characterized by extreme violence and pu ...

(Independent remnants of the Milenio Cartel) **

Los Negros Los Negros ('The Black Ones') was a criminal organization that was once the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and after a switch of alliances, became the armed wing of the Sinaloa splinter gang, the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. In 2010 it went indepe ...

(Beltran-Leyva enforcement squad; disbanded) **

South Pacific Cartel The South Pacific Cartel (Spanish: ''Cártel del Pacífico Sur'') is a Mexican organized crime group composed of the remnants of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. It is based in the Mexican state of Morelos. The gang has been significantly less activ ...

(branch of the Beltran Leyva Cartel in Morelos) Drug-War Related Murders in Mexico 2006-2011

** Independent Cartel of Acapulco (Splinter from the Beltran-Leyva Cartel) **

La Barredora La Barredora ("The Sweeper Truck") is a criminal gang based in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco, Guerrero and its surrounding territories. The criminal group came into existence during the rapid decentralization of Mexico's drug trafficking o ...

(gang) **La Mano Con Ojos (gang) (small cell of Beltran-Leyva members in the State of Mexico) (Disbanded) **La Nueva Administración (Splintered from the Beltran-Leyva Cartel) (Disbanded) **La Oficina (gang) (cell of the Beltran-Leyva Cartel in Aguascalientes) (Disbanded) **Cártel de la Sierra (cell in Guerrero) **Cártel de La Calle (cell in Chiapas) **Los Chachos (gang in Tamaulipas) (Disbanded) *''

Tijuana Cartel The Tijuana Cartel (, ), formerly also known as the Arellano-Félix Cartel (, CAF), is a Mexican drug cartel based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Founded by the Arellano-Félix family, the cartel once was described as "one of the biggest a ...

'' (Spawned from the Guadalajara Cartel) ** Oaxaca Cartel (Was a branch of the disbanded Tijuana Cartel, its regional leader was captured in 2007) *''

Juárez Cartel The Juárez Cartel (, ), also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, across the Mexico—U.S. border from El Paso, Texas. The cartel is one of several drug trafficking ...

'' (Spawned from the Guadalajara Cartel) **

La Línea LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

(Juárez Cartel enforcer squad) **

Barrio Azteca Barrio Azteca (), or Los Aztecas (), is a Mexican-American street and prison gang originally based in El Paso, Texas, USA and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The gang was formed in the Coffield Unit, located near Tennessee Colony, Texas by ...

(U.S. street gang) (Allied with La Linea) Esparragoza-Moreno

Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

Caborca Cartel The Caborca Cartel () is a Mexican criminal organization commanded by the veteran drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, (founder of the defunct Guadalajara Cartel) and concentrating its drug trafficking operations in the border municipality of Caborca. ...

*Lesser-known small-

criminal organizations Organized crime is a category of transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a form of illegal business, some ...

: **

Los Mexicles Los Mexicles is a Mexican street gang based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. It is allied to the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal group based in Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose t ...

( U.S. street gang) ** Los Texas (street gang) (disbanded) *Government officials: Other organizations that have been involved in drug trade or traffic in Mexico: **Mexican officials: ***Municipal, state, and Federal Police forces in Mexico ***

Mexican Armed Forces The Mexican Armed Forces () are the military forces of the United Mexican States. The Spanish crown established a standing military in colonial Mexico in the eighteenth century. After Mexican independence in 1821, the military played an import ...

(

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

) ***

Mexico City International Airport Mexico City International Airport (); officially ''Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez'' (Benito Juárez International Airport) is the primary international airport serving Greater Mexico City. It is the List of the busiest airports in Me ...

*** Club Xoloitzcuintles (football) **United States officials: *** *** ***

U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilita ...

United States

The United States of America is the world's largest consumer of cocaine and other illegal drugs. This is a list of American criminal organizations involved in illegal drug traffic, drug trade and other related crimes in the United States: *

Polish Mob Polish-American organized crime has existed in the United States throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Although not as well known as Cosa Nostra or Irish and Russian crime groups, the Polish Mob has a presence in many urban Polish American co ...

** Saltis-McErlane GangSifakis, Carl. ''The Mafia Encyclopedia''. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ** Kielbasa Posse ** The Greenpoint Crew ** Flats Mob **

The Flathead gang The Flathead Gang, also known as The Flatheads, was a group of bank robbers. The gang was operating in the Detroit, Michigan area. When the police became a major problem for the gang they decided to move their robberies and other crimes to the st ...

Kavieff, Paul (2008) ''Detroit's Infamous Purple Gang'' Arcadia Publishing, * Prohibition-era gangs **

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

***

Downtown Gang The Downtown Gang was one of the two gangs that dominated the organized crime world in Galveston, Texas, United States, mainly during prohibition. The gang was founded by Johnny Jack Nounes around 1920. The gang became a large profiteer and lead ...

*** Beach Gang *** The Maceo syndicate **

Shelton Brothers Gang The Shelton Brothers Gang was an early Prohibition-era bootlegging gang based in southern Illinois. They were the main rivals of the famous bootlegger Charles Birger and his gang. In 1950, the ''Saturday Evening Post'' described the Sheltons a ...

Angle, Paul M (2991) ''Bloody Williamson: A Chapter in American Lawlessness'', University of Illinois Press, **

Sheldon Gang The Sheldon Gang was a Chicago criminal gang during the early years of Prohibition known for being the main rivals of the Saltis-McErlane Gang and the Southside O'Donnell Brothers. The gang's primary activities included bootlegging and hijacking ...

** Broadway Mob ** The Lanzetta Brothers ** Circus Cafe Gang ** Wandering Family ** Remus organization *

Hispanic-American Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to the ...

** Marielitos *** The Corporation **

Paisas A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia, including part of the Cordillera Occidental (Colombia), West and Cordillera Central (Colombia), Central ''cordilleras'' of the Andean natural region, Andes in Colombia. The Paisa ...

Nuestra Familia Nuestra Familia ( Spanish for ''"our family"'') is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. While members of the Norteños gang are considered to be foot soldiers of Nuestra Familia, ...

*** Surenos or SUR 13 *** Nortenos or Norte 14 ** Puerto Rican mafia *** Agosto organization *** La ONU ***

Martinez Familia Sangeros The Puerto Rican Mob/The Puerto Rican mafia, consists of 6 crime families, in the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico around the cities of Aguada, Puerto Rico, San Juan, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Aguadilla, Moca, Puerto Rico, Añasco and Cabo rojo, P ...

*** Solano organization *** Negri organization *** Márquez gambling ring ** Polanco-Rodriguez organization *

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

''(See also Rampart scandal)'' ** Nash gang **

Wonderland Gang The Wonderland Gang was a group of drug dealers involved in the Los Angeles cocaine trade during the late 1970s and early 1980s; their home base was located on Wonderland Avenue in the Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California, Laurel Canyon neighb ...

Crips The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips ...

or Locs **

Bloods The Bloods are a primarily African Americans, African American street gang which was founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for Crips–Bloods gang war, its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn ...

or B Dogs *

Dixie Mafia The Dixie Mafia, or the Dixie Mob, originally referred to a loosely connected criminal organization that was based in Biloxi, Mississippi and which operated primarily throughout the Southern United States from the 1960s to the 1980s. It engaged ...

Cornbread Mafia The "Cornbread mafia" was the name for a group of Kentucky men who created the largest domestic marijuana production operation in United States history. It was based in Marion County, Kentucky, Marion, Nelson County, Kentucky, Nelson and Washington ...

Greek-American Greek Americans ( ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. There is an estimate of 1.2 million Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. According to the US census, 264,066 people o ...

organized crime **

Philadelphia Greek Mob The Philadelphia Greek Mob, also known as the Philadelphia Greek Mafia or the Net, was a loose-knit Greek mafia faction consisting of Greek-American racketeers and drug dealers operating in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group was closely affil ...

** Velentzas Family * Chaldean mafiaSalinger, Lawrence (2005) ''

Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime Lawrence M. Salinger (January 7, 1958 in Bono — November 23, 2013 in Jonesboro) was a professor of criminology and sociology at Arkansas State University. His research interests in criminology focused on violent victimization and organizationa ...

: A–I, Volume 1'' Sage, *

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

** The Company ** Leota mob * Wall gang * Elkins mob * The Chickens and the Bulls * Binion mob * Johnston gang

=La Cosa Nostra

= Italian immigrants to the United States in the early 19th century formed various small-time gangs which gradually evolved into sophisticated crime syndicates which dominated organized crime in America for several decades. Although government crackdowns and a less-tightly knit Italian-American community have largely reduced their power, they remain an active force in the underworld.

=Active crime families

= *

American Mafia The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian-American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian-American criminal society and organized crime group. The terms Italian Mafia and Italian Mob apply to ...

* The CommissionCapeci, Jerry (2002) ''The complete idiot's guide to the Mafia'', Alpha Books, *The

Five Families The Five Families refer to five American Mafia, Italian American Mafia Crime family, crime families that operate in New York City. In 1931, the five families were Organized crime, organized by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the C ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

** Bonanno *** Indelicato crew *** The Motion Lounge Crew **

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

*** Scarpa crew **

Genovese Genovese is an Italian surname meaning, properly, someone from Genoa. Its Italian plural form '' Genovesi'' has also developed into a surname. People * Alfred Genovese (1931–2011), American oboist * Alfredo Genovese (born 1964), Argentine arti ...

***

116th Street Crew The 116th Street Crew,

***

Greenwich Village Crew The Greenwich Village Crew is a crew within the Genovese crime family, active in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan. It was originally controlled by Don Vito Genovese from the early 1920s until his arrest in the late 1950s.G. T. Harrell. ...

*** New Jersey Crew ** Gambino *** Ozone Park Boys ***

DeMeo crew DeMeo is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adriana DeMeo (born 1981), American actress *Bob DeMeo (1955-2022), American musician *Roy DeMeo (1940–1983), Italian-American mobster *William DeMeo (born 1971), American actor, produ ...

*** Baltimore Crew *** South Florida faction *** New Jersey faction *** The Bergin Crew *** Cherry Hill Gambinos **

Lucchese Lucchese may refer to: * A.S. Lucchese Libertas 1905, a football team based in Lucca, Tuscany * Lucchese crime family, one of the "Five Families" of New York City's Mafia * Lucchese School, an art school in Tuscany, Italy that flourished in the 11 ...

*** The Jersey Crew ***

The Vario Crew The Lucchese crime family's Brooklyn faction is a group of Italian-American mobsters within the Lucchese crime family that control organized crime activities in the New York metropolitan area but are predominantly based out of Brooklyn and Stat ...

*** 107th Street gang * Magaddino crime family *

DeCavalcante crime family The DeCavalcante crime family, also known as the North Jersey crime family or the North Jersey Mafia, is an Italian American Mafia crime family that operates mainly in northern New Jersey, particularly in Elizabeth, Newark, West New York and ...

*The

Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or the Organization, is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family based in Chicago, I ...

''(see also Unione Siciliane)'' ** Las Vegas crew (defunct) *

Philadelphia crime family The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Bruno–Scarfo crime family,< ...

Pittsburgh crime family The Pittsburgh crime family,CapeciChapter 5 "Mafia Families Poison the Northeast"/ref> also known as the LaRocca crime family''Organized Crime in Pennsylvania: Traditional and Non-Traditional''. Pennsylvania Crime Concession. April 15, 1988 or th ...

Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, the Boston–Providence Mafia,

** Angiulo Brothers crew *

Cleveland crime family The Cleveland crime family, also known as the Scalish crime family or the Cleveland Mafia, is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Cleveland, Ohio, and throughout the Greater Cleveland area. The organization formed during the 1900s, an ...

Los Angeles crime family The Los Angeles crime family, also known as the Dragna crime family, the Southern California crime family or the L.A. Mafia, and dubbed "the Mickey Mouse Mafia" by former Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, is an Italian American Mafia crime fa ...

Kansas City crime family The Kansas City crime family, also known as the Civella crime family or the Kansas City Mafia or the Clique, is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family based in Kansas City, Missouri, and throughout the Greater ...

Trafficante crime family The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa crime family or the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian Americans, Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida. The most notable boss of the family was Santo Trafficante ...

Detroit Partnership The Detroit Partnership (also known as the Detroit crime family, the Detroit Combination, the Detroit Mafia, the Zerilli crime family (), and the Tocco–Zerilli crime family) is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Detroit, Michigan ...

Milwaukee crime family The Milwaukee crime family, also known as the Balistrieri crime family or the Milwaukee Mafia, was an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Peter J. Devico ''The Mafia Made Easy: The A ...

New Orleans crime family The New Orleans crime family, also known as the Marcello crime family or the New Orleans Mafia, was an Italian American Mafia crime family based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The family had a history of criminal activity dating back to the late nine ...

=Defunct mafia families

= * Morello crime family *

Genna crime family The Genna crime family (), was a crime family that operated in Prohibition-era Chicago. From 1921 to 1925, the family was headed by the six Genna brothers, known as the ''Terrible Gennas''.Capeci, Jerry. ''The complete idiot's guide to the Mafia ...

* Porrello crime family * St. Louis crime family *

Rochester Crime Family The Rochester crime family, also known as the Valenti crime family or the Rochester Mafia, was an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Rochester, New York and throughout the Greater Rochester area. The crime family was founded in the 19 ...

Bufalino crime family The Bufalino crime family,''Organized Crime in Pennsylvania: Traditional and Non-Traditional''. Pennsylvania Crime Concession. April 15, 1988 also known as the Pittston crime family,Devico, Peter J. ''The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture o ...

Dallas crime family The Dallas crime family, also known as the Civello crime family or the Dallas Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Dallas, Texas. History Carlo Piranio Carlo Piranio, a native of Sicily, immigrated to the U.S. circa 1901 ...

Denver crime family The Colorado crime family, also known as the Smaldone crime family, the Denver crime family, the Arvada Cop Mafia, the Denver Mafia or the Mountain Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Pueblo and Denver, Colorado. The family ...

San Francisco crime family The San Francisco crime family, also known as the Lanza crime family or the San Francisco Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in San Francisco, California. The syndicate mainly originated in the Little Italy neighborhood of No ...

San Jose crime family The San Jose crime family, also known as the Cerrito crime family or the San Jose Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in San Jose, California. The San Jose family was one of the two families that controlled organized crime in ...

Seattle crime family The Colacurcio Organization, also known as the Colacurcio crime family,
by Michae ...

* Omaha crime family * Licavoli Mob * Cardinelli gang *

New York Camorra The Brooklyn Camorra or New York Camorra (NY Camorra) was a loose grouping of early-20th-century organized crime gangs that formed among Italian immigrants originating in Naples and the surrounding Campania region living in Greater New York, pa ...

East Harlem Purple Gang The East Harlem Purple Gang was a gang and organized crime group in New York City consisting of Italian-American hit-men and heroin dealers who were semi-independent from the Italian-American Mafia and, according to federal prosecutors, dominat ...

National Crime Syndicate The National Crime Syndicate was a multi-ethnic, closely connected, American confederation of several criminal organizations. It mostly consisted of and was led by the closely interconnected Italian American Mafia and Jewish Mob. It also involv ...

Seven Group Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group active from 1929 to 1941 that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included Italian-American Mafia, the Jewish ...

Murder, Inc. Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group active from 1929 to 1941 that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included Italian-American Mafia, the Jewish ...

Rockaway, Robert A (2000) ''But he was good to his mother: the lives and crimes of Jewish gangsters'', Gefen Publishing House Ltd,

=
Jewish mafia Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

= *New York City ** Schultz gang **

The Bugs and Meyer Mob The Bugs (Bugsy) and Meyer Mob was a Jewish-American street gang in Manhattan, New York City's Lower East Side. It was formed and headed by mobsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky during their teenage years shortly after the start of Prohibition. ...

Shapiro Brothers Meyer (1908–1931), Irving (1904–1931) and Willie Shapiro (1911–1934), collectively known as the Shapiro Brothers, were the leaders of a group of Jewish-American mobsters from New York City and based in Williamsburg. Well established in ...

** Yiddish Black Hand ** Rothstein organization ** Kaplan gang ** Rosenzweig gang *Boston ** 69th Street Gang ** Sagansky organization ** Solomon organization *Los Angeles **

Mickey Cohen Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen (September 4, 1913 – July 29, 1976) was an American gangster based in Los Angeles and boss of the Cohen crime family during the mid-20th century. Early life Mickey Cohen was born on September 4, 1913, in New York ...

gang (mix between Jewish and Italian members) *

The Purple Gang The Purple Gang, also known as the Sugar House Gang, was a criminal mob of bootleggers and hijackers composed predominantly of Jewish gangsters. They operated in Detroit, Michigan, during the 1920s of the Prohibition era and came to be Detro ...

* Zwillman gang *

Kid Cann Isadore Blumenfeld (September 8, 1900 – June 21, 1981), commonly known as Kid Cann, was a Romanian-born Jewish-American organized crime enforcer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for over four decades. He remains the most notorious mobster ...

's gang * Birger mob * Cleveland Syndicate

=
African-American organized crime In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African American organized crime emerged following the Great Migration (African American), first and Second Great Migration (African American), second large-scale migrations of African Americans from the ...

= *New York City ** The Council ** Harlem numbers racket **

Bumpy Johnson Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson (October 31, 1905 – July 7, 1968) was an American crime boss in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Early life Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 31, 190 ...

gang ** Supreme TeamAmerican Gangster, BET
** The Bebos ** The Country Boys ** Matthews Organization * The Family *

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Black Mafia Family The Black Mafia Family (BMF) is a drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the United States. It was founded in 1985, in Southwest Detroit by brothers Demetrius Edward "Big Meech" and Terry Lee "Southwest Tee" Flenory. By 2000 it h ...

** Young Boys, Inc. ** Chambers Brothers *

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Black Mafia The Black Mafia, also known as the Philadelphia Black Mafia (PBM), Black Muslim Mafia and Muslim Mob, was a Philadelphia-based African-American organized crime syndicate. The organization began in the 1960s as a relatively small criminal colle ...

Chepesiuk, Ron (2007) ''Gangsters of Harlem: the gritty underworld of New York City's most famous neighborhood'', Barricade Books, **

Junior Black Mafia The Black Mafia, also known as the Philadelphia Black Mafia (PBM), Black Muslim Mafia and Muslim Mob, was a Philadelphia-based African-American organized crime syndicate. The organization began in the 1960s as a relatively small criminal coll ...

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

69 Mob Felix Wayne Mitchell Jr. (August 23, 1954 – August 21, 1986) was a drug lord from Oakland, California, and leader of the "69 Mob" criminal organization, which operated throughout California and into the Midwest. He was known as "Felix the Cat" ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

** Williams organization (drug trafficking) *

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Rayful Edmond Rayful Edmond III (November 26, 1964 – December 17, 2024) was an American drug trafficker in Washington, D.C. in the 1980s. Edmond was largely responsible for having introduced crack cocaine into the Washington, D.C. area during the crack epid ...

organization *

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

** Theodore Roe's gambling ring ** Stokes organization *

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

** Aso Posse *

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Miami Boys The Miami Boys was a drug organization composed of a loose-knit group of African-American drug suppliers and dealers from south Florida (particularly Miami). Also known as "the Untouchables", the group started in the early 1980s and by 1986 the o ...

* Rosemond Organization

= Irish Mob

= * Prohibition-era Chicago gangs **

North Side Gang The North Side Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was a primarily Irish-American criminal organization within Chicago during the Prohibition era from the early 1920s to the mid-1930s. It was the principal rival of the South Side Gang, also ...

English, T.J. ''Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster''. New York: HarperCollins, 2005, ** James Patrick O'Leary organization ** John Patrick Looney gang **

Valley Gang The Valley Gang was an Irish-American street gang in Chicago, Illinois during the early 20th century, which ultimately made the transition to organized crime and became a de facto extension of the Chicago Outfit under Al Capone. Formed in the 18 ...

Ragen's Colts Ragen's Colts was a chiefly Irish street gang which dominated the Chicago underworld during the early twentieth century. By the late 1920s and early 1930s, the gang became part of the Chicago Outfit under Al Capone. Originally established as a ...

** Touhy gang *

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Mullen Gang The Mullen Gang was an Irish-American gang operating in Boston, Massachusetts. The gang derived its name from a commemorative plaque to a war hero named John Joseph Mullen, which was located on a street corner in South Boston that the gang's me ...

Winter Hill Gang The Winter Hill Gang was a loose confederation of American organized crime figures in the Boston, Massachusetts area. It was generally considered an Irish mob organization, with most gang members and the leadership consisting predominantly of ...

** Gustin Gang **

Charlestown Mob The Charlestown Mob, also known as the McLaughlin Gang, was an Irish Americans, Irish American organized crime gang in Charlestown, Boston, Charlestown, which figured prominently in the history of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston for much of the 20 ...

Killeen gang The Killeen Gang was an Irish-American Boston-based crime organization started by Donnie Killeen. At one time, the gang was led by Whitey Bulger. Along with Bulger, Billy O'Sullivan was a notable associate. The Killeen Gang eventually combined ...

Danny Hogan "Dapper" Danny Hogan (c. 1880 - December 4, 1928) was an Irish-American organized crime figure, political fixer, and the boss of Saint Paul, Minnesota's Irish Mob both before and during Prohibition. Following Hogan's 1928 murder by car bomb, h ...

's gang * Danny Walsh gang * Tom Dennison empire * Danny Greene's Celtic Club *

Nucky Johnson's Organization Nucky Johnson's Organization was a corrupt political machine based in Atlantic City, New Jersey that held power during the Prohibition in the United States, Prohibition era. Its boss, Enoch L. Johnson, Enoch "Nucky" Johnson, coordinated the Or ...

K&A Gang The K&A Gang, or the Northeast Philly Irish Mob, is a predominantly Irish American criminal network based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The K&A Gang was started following World War II and controlled the city's Irish-American criminal underwo ...

* Enright gang *

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

** Dwyer gang **

The Westies The Westies were a New York City-based Irish-American organized crime gang, responsible for racketeering, drug trafficking, and contract killing. They were partnered with the Italian-American Mafia and operated out of the Hell's Kitchen neighbo ...

White Hand Gang The White Hand Gang was a collection of various Irish American gangs on the New York City, Brooklyn, and Red Hook waterfronts from the early 1900s to 1925 who organized against the growing influence of Italian gangsters. Their name was chosen in ...

** Higgins gang *

St Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

Hogan Gang The Hogan Gang was a St. Louis–based criminal organization that sold illegal liquor during Prohibition in addition to committing labor slugging, voter intimidation, armed robbery, and murder. Although predominantly Irish-American, the Hogan Ga ...

Egan's Rats Egan's Rats was an American organized crime gang that exercised considerable power in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1890 to 1924. Its 35 years of criminal activity included Rum-running, bootlegging, labor slugging, voter intimidation, armed robbery ...

Caribbean

* Chadee gang (

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

) *Jamaican Yardies & Posses **

Shower Posse The Shower Posse is a Jamaican posse, Jamaican gang, started by Lester Lloyd Coke, which is involved in drug smuggling, drug and arms smuggling. Its home is in Tivoli Gardens, Kingston, Tivoli Gardens in Jamaica. It has several North American b ...

** POW Posse ** Tottenham Mandem *** Star Gang ** Klans Massive *

No Limit Soldiers The No Limit Soldiers were a stable in World Championship Wrestling that was formed after rapper Master P signed with the company. The Soldiers notably feuded with The West Texas Rednecks from June to July 1999. History The relationship between W ...

(

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

) * Phantom death squad (

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

) * Suri-kartel (

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

) * Zoe Pound ( Haitian, see also

Tonton Macoute The Tonton Macoute () or simply the Macoute, was a Haitian paramilitary and secret police force created in 1959 by dictator François "Papa Doc" Duvalier. Haitians named this force after the Haitian mythological bogeyman, (" Uncle Gunnysa ...

) * Dominican drug cartels ** Paulino organization ** Féliz organization

South America

Brazil

Primeiro Comando da Capital The Primeiro Comando da Capital ("Capital's First Command", , PCC) is a Brazilian organized crime syndicate. According to a 2023 ''The Economist'' report, the PCC is Latin America's biggest drug gang, with a membership of 40,000 lifetime members ...

, based in São Paulo *

Comando Vermelho Comando Vermelho (, ''Red Command'' or ''Red Commando''), also known as CV, is a Brazilian criminal organization engaged primarily in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, protection racketeering, kidnapping-for-ransom, hijacking of armored tru ...

, based in Rio de Janeiro *

Terceiro Comando Terceiro Comando (Portuguese for ''Third Command'') was a Brazilian criminal organization engaged in drug trafficking in Rio de Janeiro. It was founded in the early 1980s and is a break-away faction of the Comando Vermelho. The ''Terceiro Comand ...

, based in Rio de Janeiro (disbanded) **

Terceiro Comando Puro Terceiro Comando Puro (Pure Third Command) is a Brazilian criminal organization in Rio de Janeiro that split off from the Terceiro Comando (TC) in 2002 due to disputes about TC's affiliations with the ''Amigos dos Amigos'' gang. TC weakened while ...

, based in Rio de Janeiro *

Amigos dos Amigos Amigos dos Amigos (ADA, ''Friends of Friends'') is a criminal organization that operates in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. It was started up in 1998 when a member of Comando Vermelho was expelled from the organization for ordering the mur ...

, based in Rio de Janeiro *

Família do Norte The (Northern Family) is a criminal faction that occupies northern Brazil and some regions in other countries such as: Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. It is considered the 3rd largest faction in Brazil, and the largest in the state of Amazonas, i ...

, based in Amazonas *

Guardiões do Estado The Guardians of the State (Brazilian Portuguese: ), or the acronym GDE, is a Brazilian criminal faction. It operates in the state of Ceará. It is the 4th largest faction in Brazil and is made up mostly of poorly prepared teenagers, pre-teen ...

, based in Ceará

Bolivia

* Bolivian drug cartels ''(See also García Meza regime drug trafficking)'' ** Chapare Cartel **

La Corporación La Corporación ("The Corporation"), also known as the Santa Ana Cartel, was a Bolivian drug cartel and criminal organization, headed in the 1970s and 1980s by notorious drug lord Roberto Suárez Gómez, known as the "King of Cocaine". "La Corpo ...

** Santa Cruz Cartel

Colombia

Colombia is the largest producer of cocaine in the world, and cocaine production in Colombia reached an all-time high in 2017. Active Colombian drug cartels: * The Black Eagles *

Clan del Golfo The Clan del Golfo (English: The Gulf Clan), also known as Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC) or Gaitanist Army of Colombia (Ejército Gaitanista de Colombia– EGC) and formerly called Los ...

Oficina de Envigado La Oficina de Envigado () is a drug cartel and criminal organization originally founded as an enforcement wing and debt collection service of Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel. Despite being noted for its historical affiliation with drug traffick ...

National Liberation Army (Colombia) The National Liberation Army (, ELN) is a far-left guerrilla insurgency group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict,

FARC dissidents FARC dissidents (Spanish: ''Disidencias de las Farc''), also known as Carlos Patiño Front, are a group, formerly part of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who have refused to lay down their arms after the Colombian peace process ...

Los Rastrojos Los Rastrojos is a Colombian drug cartel and paramilitary group engaged in the Colombian armed conflict. The ...

Historical Colombian drug cartels: *

Medellín Cartel The Medellín Cartel () was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia, that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar. It is often considered to be the first major ...

* Cali Cartel *

Norte del Valle Cartel The Norte del Valle Cartel (), or North Valley Cartel, was a drug cartel that operated principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia, most notably the coastal city of Buenaventura. It rose to prominence during the 1990 ...

North Coast Cartel The North Coast Cartel () was a drug cartel operating in northern Colombia between 1980 and 2010, mostly controlling the area of the Colombian Caribbean coast illegal drug trade flow from other regions of Colombia and neighboring countries and lo ...

United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (''Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia'', or AUC, in Spanish) were a Colombian far-right paramilitary and drug trafficking group which was an active belligerent in the Colombian armed conflict during the ...

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (, FARC–EP or FARC) was a Marxist–Leninist Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in ...

Peru

* Peruvian drug cartels ''(see also

Vladimiro Montesinos Vladimiro Lenin Ilich Montesinos Torres (; born May 20, 1945) is a Peruvian former intelligence officer and lawyer, most notorious for his role as the head of Peru's National Intelligence Service (SIN) during the presidency of Alberto Fujimor ...

)'' ** Zevallos organisation

Venezuela

Historically Venezuela has been a path to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for illegal drugs originating in Colombia, through Central America and

and Caribbean countries such as

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, and

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. According to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, there has been an increase of cocaine trafficking through Venezuela since 2002. In 2005, Venezuela severed ties with the United States

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...

(DEA), accusing its representatives of spying. Following the departure of the DEA from Venezuela and the expansion of DEA's partnership with Colombia in 2005, Venezuela became more attractive to drug traffickers. Between 2008 and 2012, Venezuela's cocaine seizure ranking among other countries declined, going from being ranked fourth in the world for cocaine seizures in 2008United Nations
World Drug Report 2010 Statistical Annex: Drug seizures
to sixth in the world in 2012. The cartel groups involved include: * The

moved to Venezuela,Tom Blickman (1997),
The Rothschilds of the Mafia on Aruba
", ''Transnational Organized Crime'', Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer 1997 which became an important hideout as the clan bought hotels and founded various businesses in Caracas and Valencia, as well as an extended ranch in Barinas, near the Colombian border. ''"Venezuela has its own Cosa Nostra family as if it is Sicilian territory,"'' according to the Italian police. ''"The structure and hierarchy of the Mafia has been entirely reproduced in Venezuela."'' The Cuntrera-Caruana clan had direct links with the ruling Commission of the Sicilian Mafia, and are acknowledged by the American Cosa Nostra. Pasquale, Paolo and Gaspare Cuntrera were expelled from Venezuela in 1992, "almost secretly smuggled out of the country, as if it concerned one of their own drug transports. It was imperative they could not contact people on the outside who could have used their political connections to stop the expulsion." Their expulsion was ordered by a commission of the Venezuelan Senate headed by Senator Cristobal Fernandez Dalo and his money laundering investigator, Thor Halvorssen Hellum. They were arrested in September 1992 at

Fiumicino airport Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport () is an international airport in Fiumicino, Italy, serving Rome. It is the busiest airport in the country, the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and the world's 39th-busiest airport with over 49.2&nbs ...

(Rome), Fonzi, Gaeton.
The Troublemaker
". ''

The Pennsylvania Gazette ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728 until 1800. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, the newspaper served as a voice for colonial opposition to British colonial rule, esp ...

'' (November 1994). and in 1996 were sentenced to 13–20 years. * Norte del Valle Cartel : In 2008 the leader of the Colombian

Wilber Varela Wilber Alirio Varela Fajardo (November 6, 1957 – 2008), also known as ''Jabón'' ("Soap"), was a Colombian drug trafficker. He was the leader of the Norte del Valle Cartel. A Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act indictment was ...

, was found murdered in a hotel in Mérida in Venezuela. * The

Cartel of the Suns The Cartel of the Suns () is a Venezuelan organization supposedly headed by high-ranking members of the Armed Forces of Venezuela who are involved in international drug trade. According to Héctor Landaeta, journalist and author of ''Chavismo, ...

According to

Jackson Diehl Jackson Diehl (born 1956) is a newspaper editor and reporter. He was the deputy editorial page editor of ''The Washington Post'' from February 2001 to August 2021. He was part of the ''Washington Post'' team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Pu ...

. Deputy Editorial Page Editor of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', the Bolivarian government of Venezuela shelters "one of the world's biggest drug cartels". There have also been allegations that former president

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...

and

Diosdado Cabello Diosdado Cabello Rondón (born 15 April 1963Vicepresidencia de la República Bolivariana de VenezuelaDiosdado Cabello Rondón, accessed 19 April 2010) is a Venezuelan politician who currently serves as Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace s ...

being involved with drug trafficking. In May 2015, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' reported from United States officials that drug trafficking in Venezuela increased significantly with Colombian drug traffickers moving from Colombia to Venezuela due to pressure from law enforcement. One

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

official described the higher ranks of the Venezuelan government and military as "a criminal organization", with high ranking Venezuelan officials, such as National Assembly President

, being accused of drug trafficking. Those involved with investigations stated that Venezuelan government defectors and former traffickers had given information to investigators and that details of those involved in government drug trafficking were increasing.

Central America

Honduras

* Honduran drug cartels ** Matta organization **

Cachiros Cachiros or Los Cachiros is the name of a Honduran criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking. It was founded in the early 1990s by a group of cattle farmers in the departments of Colón and Olancho de Honduras. One of the leaders of t ...

El Salvador

Mara Salvatrucha Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s. Originally, the gang was set up to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Angeles area ...

Nicaragua

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

n drug cartels ''(see also

Contras In the history of Nicaragua, the Contras (Spanish: ''La contrarrevolución'', the counter-revolution) were the right-wing militias who waged anti-communist guerilla warfare (1979–1990) against the Marxist governments of the Sandinista Na ...

)'' **

Oscar Danilo Blandón Oscar Danilo Blandón Reyes (born July 29, 1951) is a Nicaraguan born drug trafficker who is best known as one of the main subjects of the 1996 newspaper series "Dark Alliance" by reporter Gary Webb. Blandón was originally a director of agricu ...

Asia

East Asia

Korea

* Korean criminal organizations ''(see also

North Korea's illicit activities The alleged illicit activities of the North Korean state include manufacture and sale of illegal drugs, the manufacture and sale of counterfeit consumer goods, human trafficking, arms trafficking, wildlife trafficking, counterfeiting currency ( ...

)''

Japan

= Japanese criminal organizations

= The

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...

of Japan are similar to the Italian mafias in that they originated centuries ago and follow a rigid set of traditions, but have several aspects that make them unique, such as their full-body tattoos and their fairly open place in Japanese society. Many yakuza groups are umbrella organizations, smaller gangs reporting to a larger crime syndicate.

Active yakuza groups

* Roku-daime Yamaguchi-gumi 六代目山口組Kaplan, David E. & Dubro, Alec (2003) ''Yakuza: Japan's criminal underworld'', University of California Press, ** Yon-daime Yamaken-gumi 四代目山健組 ** Ni-daime Kodo-kai 二代目弘道会 ** Ni-daime Takumi-gumi 二代目宅見組 ** Go-daime Kokusui-kai 五代目國粹会 *

Inagawa-kai The is the third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, with approximately 1,600 members. It is based in the Kantō region, and was one of the first yakuza organizations to begin operating overseas. History The Inagawa-kai was founded in Atami, ...

稲川会 *

Sumiyoshi-kai The , sometimes referred to as the , is the second-largest yakuza group in Japan with an estimated 2,100 members. Outline Their territories mainly consist of upscale districts such as Kabukichō and Ginza. Shops operating in these territories ...

住吉会 **

Sumiyoshi-ikka The Sumiyoshi-ikka (住吉一家 "Sumiyoshi Family") is an affiliate of the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza syndicate, based in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded by a local Bakuto in the early Meiji era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Jap ...

Shinwa-kai The is a yakuza group based in Takamatsu, Kagawa on Shikoku, Japan.

住吉一家親和会 *** Kansuke Juni-daime 勘助十二代目 * Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi *

Matsuba-kai The , meaning "Pine Needle Society," is a yakuza organization based in Tokyo, Japan. The Matsuba-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 280 active members as of 2024.

松葉会 *

Kyokuto-kai The is a yakuza organization based in Tokyo, Japan.

極東会 *

Dojin-kai The is a yakuza organization headquartered in Kurume, Fukuoka, on the Kyushu island of Japan,

道仁会 ** Kitamura-gumi * Yon-daime Kudo-kai 四代目工藤會 * Roku-daime Aizu-Kotetsu-kai 六代目会津小鉄会 * Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai 沖縄旭琉会 *

Kyushu Seido-kai The was a yakuza organization based in Fukuoka Prefecture on the Kyushu island of Japan, with an estimated 150 active members. Headquartered in the southern Fukuoka region of Omuta, the Kyushu Seido-kai maintains its offices in five other prefec ...

九州誠道会 * Go-daime Kyosei-kai 五代目共政会 * San-daime Fukuhaku-kai 三代目福博会 *

Soai-kai The is a yakuza organization based in Chiba, Japan. The Soai-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 80 active members. History The Soai-kai was formed in 1945 by Toramatsu Takahashi, then a member of a Yokohama-based bakuto group n ...

双愛会 * Yon-daime Kyokuryu-kai 四代目旭琉会 * San-daime Kyodo-kai 三代目俠道会 *

Taishu-kai The is a yakuza organization based in Fukuoka Prefecture on the Kyushu island of Japan, with an estimated 70 active members. History The Taishu-kai was formed around 1954 under the name by , a mineworker who became the first president. The Ota G ...

太州会 * Shichi-daime Goda-ikka 七代目合田一家 *

Toa-kai The is a yakuza syndicate based in Tokyo. Originally named the , with its historic leader Hisayuki Machii, the Toa-kai was deeply involved in the history of Tokyo's South Korean community and Japan's anti-communist circles in the 20th century. ...

東亜会 * Ni-daime Azuma-gumi 二代目東組 * Yon-daime Asano-gumi 四代目浅野組 * Hachi-daime Sakaume-gumi 八代目酒梅組 * Yon-daime Kozakura-ikka 四代目小桜一家 * Ni-daime Shinwa-kai 二代目親和会

Defunct yakuza groups

Kantō-kai The was a Japanese underworld organization formed by Yoshio Kodama in 1964, and named for the Kantō region from which it drew most of its membership. Kodama envisioned the Kantō-kai as a secret national police force, with the aim of forwardin ...

関東会 * Ni-daime Honda-kai 二代目本多会 *

Yamaguchi-gumi is Japan's largest ''yakuza'' organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for longshoreman, dockworkers in Kobe before World War II. It is one of the largest organized cr ...

Goto-gumi The was a Japanese yakuza organization founded by Tadamasa Goto. History The gang was originally formed in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, but moved its activities east in 1991 when it merged with a gang in Hachiōji, Tokyo. The Goto-gumi, as ...

後藤組 **

Suishin-kai The Suishin-kai was a Japanese yakuza gang based in Nagasaki. The gang, affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza syndicate, came to prominence in April 2007 when its former underboss (then demoted to Captain), Tetsuya Shiroo ...

水心会 * Ichiwa-kai 一和会 * San-daime Yamano-kai 三代目山野会 *

Nakano-kai The Nakano-kai (中野会) was a notorious Osaka-based yakuza gang, founded by Taro Nakano (born October 30, 1936, in Oita) in the years after World War 2. The Nakano-kai was known for its fierce bellicosity and thus sometimes dubbed the " Dojin ...

中野会 * Kyokuto Sakurai-soke-rengokai 極東桜井總家連合会

Chinese

The Triads is a popular name for a number of Chinese criminal secret societies, which have existed in various forms over the centuries (see for example

Tiandihui The Tiandihui, the Heaven and Earth Society, also called Hongmen (the Vast Family), is a Chinese fraternal organization and historically a secretive folk religious sect in the vein of the Ming loyalist White Lotus Sect, the Tiandihu ...

). However, not all Chinese gangs fall into line with these traditional groups, as many non-traditional criminal organizations have formed, both in China and the Chinese diaspora. * Hong Kong-based Triads ** 14K Group 十四K ** Wo Group 和字頭 ***

Wo Shing Wo Wo Shing Wo or WSW () is the oldest of the Wo Group triad societies, and is the triad with the longest history in Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong police, the triad is involved in extortion, drug trafficking, gambling and prostitution.

和勝和 *** Wo On Lok (Shui Fong) 和安樂(水房) ***

Wo Hop To Wo Hop To, or WHT ( zh, j=wo hap tou, t=和合圖), is a triad group based in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The name translates to "Harmoniously United Association", or "Harmonious Union Plan", and is thought to have been founded in 1908 in Sai Ying Pu ...

和合圖(老和) **

Sun Yee On Sun Yee On ( zh, t=新義安, j=san ji on, cy=sān yih ōn), or the New Righteousness and Peace Commercial and Industrial Guild, is one of the leading triads in Hong Kong and China. It has more than 25,000 members worldwide. It is also believe ...

新義安(老新) **

Luen Group Luen group is one of several organized crime groups of Hong Kong, known as triads. The membership of the group exceeds 8,000 and is made up of several subgroups. These include Luen Lok Tong, Luen Tei Ying, Luen To Ying, Luen Ying She, and Luen K ...

聯字頭 **

Big Circle Gang The Big Circle Gang or Big Circle Boys is a Chinese triad. In 2009, the Big Circle Boys were described as "one of the largest and most sophisticated criminal conspiracies" in Canada. The gang established in the prison camps of China in the la ...

大圈 *

Sio Sam Ong Sio Sam Ong ( Chinese: 小三王), literally meaning "Three Little Kings", or SSO, for short, is a leading Chinese triad in Malaysia; with a strong presence in the north (i.e. Kedah, Perlis). Mainly based in Penang and Selangor. It is widely cons ...

(小三王) * Chinese-American gangs ''(See also

Tongs Tongs are a type of tool used to grip and lift objects instead of holding them directly with hands. There are many forms of tongs adapted to their specific use. Design variations include resting points so that the working end of the tongs d ...

)'' **

Wah Ching Wah Ching ( zh, t=華青, first=t, j=Waa4 Cing1, l=Youth of China) is a Chinese American criminal organization and street gang that was founded in San Francisco, California in 1964. The Wah Ching has been involved in crimes including narcotic sal ...

華青 ** Ping On **

Black Dragons ''Black Dragons'' is a 1942 American film directed by William Nigh and starring Bela Lugosi, Joan Barclay, and George Pembroke. The cast includes Clayton Moore, who plays a handsome detective. The Black Dragon Society also appears in '' Let's Ge ...

黑龍 **

Jackson Street Boys The Jackson Boyz, JBZ or Jackson Street Boys, JSB are or were a San Francisco, California based Asian American street gang and criminal organization The gang, composed of Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, ...

積臣街小子 *

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

-based Triads ** United Bamboo Gang 竹聯幫 ** Four Seas Gang 四海幫 ** Celestial Alliance * Mainland Chinese crime groups ''(see also

Hanlong Group Hanlong Group (汉龙集团) was a Chinese business conglomerate based in Sichuan Province with past holdings in solar energy, communications, chemicals, and mineral exploration. It became internationally known for its investments in Africa and it ...

)'' ** Chongqing group 重慶組 ** Defunct ***

Honghuzi Honghuzi () were armed Chinese robbers and bandits who operated in the areas of the eastern Russia-China borderland during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Their activities extended over southeastern ...

gangs ***

Green Gang The Green Gang ( zh, t=青幫, p=Qīng Bāng) was a Chinese secret society and criminal organization, which was prominent in criminal, social and political activity in Shanghai during the early to mid 20th century. History Origins As a secret s ...

青帮 *

Triad Triad or triade may refer to: * a group of three Humanities * Trichotomy (philosophy), often called triads * Triad (sociology), a group of three people as a unit of study * Triad (relationship), or ''ménage à trois'' Music * Triad (music ...

s in Cholon **Wu Bang

Southeast Asia

Golden Triangle Golden Triangle may refer to: Places Asia * Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia), named for its opium production * Golden Triangle (Yangtze), China, named for its rapid economic development * Golden Triangle (India), comprising the popular tourist sp ...

Booth, Martin (2000) ''The dragon syndicates: the global phenomenon of the Triads'' Basic Books, ** Burmese drug cartels'' (see also

Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army , logo = , caption = Official logo of the MNDA (rendered online) , active = – present , leader = Pheung Daxun , ideology = Kokang Nationalism Xi Jinping Thought , partof = ...

)'' *** Khun Sa cartelChepesiuk, Ron (1999) ''The war on drugs: an international encyclopedia'', ABC-CLIO, ''(see also

Mong Tai Army The Mong Tai Army (; sometimes transcribed Muang Tai Army; abbreviated MTA), was an insurgent group consisting of soldiers from the Shan minority in Myanmar, founded in 1985 by Khun Sa. It had up to 20,000 armed troops at its peak, and was ...

)'' ***

Red Wa The United Wa State Army ( Parauk: , zh, s=佤邦联合军, t=佤邦聯合軍, p=Wǎbāng Liánhéjūn; , ), abbreviated as the UWSA or the UWS Army, is the military wing of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), the ''de facto'' ruling party of ...

''(see also

United Wa State Army The United Wa State Army ( Parauk: , zh, s=佤邦联合军, t=佤邦聯合軍, p=Wǎbāng Liánhéjūn; , ), abbreviated as the UWSA or the UWS Army, is the military wing of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), the ''de facto'' ruling party of ...

and

National Democratic Alliance Army The National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) is an insurgent group in eastern Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). It is the armed wing of the Peace and Solidarity Committee (PSC). History The Mong La area had been under the control of several wa ...

)'' *** Hawngleuk Militia *** Han cartel ** Laotian drug cartels ''(see also

Ouane Rattikone Major general Ouane Rattikone (Ouan Rathikoun), a Laos, Laotian senior military officer, was the commander-in-chief of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (French language, French: ''Forces Armées du Royaume'' – FAR), the official military of the Ro ...

)'' *

Chao pho ''Jao por'' ( Thai: เจ้าพ่อ, “godfather”) is a term used in Thailand to describe the boss of organized crime groups. Meaning of the term ''Chao pho'' or ''jao poh'' literally means “godfather.” Chao pho, mostly based in the p ...

* Filipino crime gangs ''(See also

Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; , ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and piracy, pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and B ...

and

New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...

)'' ** Kuratong Baleleng **

Waray-Waray gangs Waray-Waray gangs (also known as Waray-Waray groups) are generic terms used in the Philippines to denote of criminal groups who are of Waray ethnicity. They originated from provinces Leyte and Samar where the majority are of Waray background, ...

October 10, 2018 **

Bahala Na Gang The Bahala Na Gang (BNG) is a street gang founded in the Philippines which subsequently spread to the United States. Early history The Bahala Na Gang was established in the early 1940s in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines, by Divino Talastas, a na ...

Sigue Sigue Sputnik Sigue Sigue Sputnik were a British new wave band formed in 1982 by former Generation X bassist Tony James. The band have had three UK top-40 hit singles, including " Love Missile F1-11" and " 21st Century Boy". The band's music, image and in ...

** Putik gang (defunct) * Cambodian crime gangs **

Teng Bunma Teng Bunma 許銳騰 (; 1941 – 17 June 2016), also written as Teng Boonma, Theng Boonma, and Theng Bunma, was one of the wealthiest businessmen in Cambodia. He was one the founders of Thai Boon Roong Group and, along with Sok Kong and Meng Ret ...

organization * Malaysian crime gangs **

Mamak Gang The Mamak Gang is a notorious Malaysian gang that has been active since the early 1990s. Originally they specialised in breaking into factories and warehouses, but eventually they switched to mainly carjacking and robbing motorists. The gang is most ...

Secret societies in Singapore Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controver ...

Ang Soon Tong Ang Soon Tong () is a secret society based in Singapore and Malaysia. According to a former police officer, the society was active as early as the 1950s, mainly in the Sembawang area. In 1998, a 19-year-old youth was arrested for setting up a web ...

洪順堂 **

Ghee Hin Kongsi The Ghee Hin Kongsi () was a secret society in Singapore and Malaya, formed in 1820. Ghee Hin literally means "the rise of righteousness" in Chinese and was part of the Hongmen overseas network. The Ghee Hin often fought against the Hakka-domi ...

義興公司 **

Hai San The Hai San Society (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Hói-sân''), which had its origins in Southern China,Encyclopædia Britannica was a Penang-based Chinese secret society established around 1820 and in 1825 led by Low, Ah ChongTriad Societies: Western Ac ...

海山 ** Wah Kee 華記 **

Ah Kong Ah Kong () was an organised crime and drugs syndicate that used to extensively control the European heroin trade in the 1970s to 1990s. Originating from Singapore, it was one of the world's largest drug syndicates, having been mainly based in ...

阿公

Vietnamese Xã Hội Đen

Bình Xuyên Bình Xuyên Force (, ), often linked to its infamous leader, General Lê Văn Viễn (nicknamed "Bảy Viễn"), was an independent military force within the Vietnamese National Army whose leaders once had lived outside the law and had sided wi ...

Đại Cathay Đại Cathay, whose real name was Lê Văn Đại, was a 1960s Saigon mobster, and was considered as the top of the "four great kings" of Saigon's criminal underworld before 1975, followed by Huỳnh Tỳ, Ngô Văn Cái and Ba Thế. Early lif ...

's mafia during the 60s *

Năm Cam Trương Văn Cam, known by the sobriquet Năm Cam (April 22, 1947 – June 3, 2004) was a notorious Vietnamese mobster who is often called the "Godfather" of Vietnam. Known for building and running a criminal enterprise revolving around ga ...

's mafia of the 90s *

Khánh Trắng Khánh Trắng (literally translated as "White Khanh") was the President of Dong Xuan Labor Union. However, it was just a screen for his mob-like organization in the underworld of Hanoi during the late 1990s. Described as a cold-blooded assassin ...

's "Đồng Xuân Labor Union", a crime syndicate under the guise of a legal entity *

Dung Hà Vũ Thị Hoàng Dung (better known by her nickname Dung Hà; 1965October 2, 2000) was a Vietnamese female gangster. Born and raised in Haiphong, Dung Hà was a high-ranking criminal member in the city, and during her peak in the 1990s, she and ...

's gang *Vũ Xuân Trường's gang: a crime syndicate led by Vũ Xuân Trường, a government official and also a drug lord.

South Asia

Mafia Raj Mafia Raj () refers to a criminalised nexus (or 'mafia') of corrupt government officials, elected politicians, business interests and other entities (such as law-enforcement authorities, non-governmental organisations, trade unions or criminal ...

Dacoit Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word डाकू (ḍākū); "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with the meaning "a robber belonging to an armed ...

gangs

India

Indian mafia Organised crime in India refers to organised crime elements originating in India and active in many parts of the world. The purpose of organised crime in India, as elsewhere in the world, is monetary gain. Its virulent form in modern times is d ...

''(See also

Insurgency in Northeast India {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Insurgency in Northeast India , partof = , image = India-locator-map-NE.svg , image_size = 300px , caption = Map of India with northeastern states hig ...

)'' **

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

***

D-Company D-Company is a name coined by the Indian media for one of Mumbai underworld's organized crime syndicate founded and controlled by Dawood Ibrahim, an Indian crime boss, drug dealer and wanted terrorist. In 2011, Ibrahim, along with his D-Comp ...

डी कंपनी *** Chhota Rajan gang राजन गिरोह *** Gawli gang गवली गिरोह *** Bada Rajan gang *** Surve gang *** Mudaliar gang *** Mastan gang *** Budesh gang *** Kalani gang *** Kala Kaccha Gangs *** Chaddi Baniyan Gangs *** Singh gang ***

Veerappan Koose Munisamy Veerappan (18 January 1952 – 18 October 2004) was an Indian poacher, smuggler, domestic terrorist and Banditry, bandit who was active for 36 years, and kidnapped major politicians for ransom. He was charged with sandalwoo ...

gang *** Devi gang ** Pathan mafia *** Lala gang

=
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

= * Ansari gang * Yadav gang

=
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

= * Rai gang * Ramachandra gang * Jayaraj gang

Sri Lanka

* Sri Lankan criminal groups

Pakistan

Pakistani mafia Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

''(See also

Peoples' Aman Committee The Peoples' Aman Committee () was an alleged militant group tied to the Pakistan Peoples Party and based in Karachi, Pakistan. The PAC was founded by the infamous Karachi gangster Rehman Dakait in 2008 and is accused of being involved in organize ...

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban, officially the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Durand Line, Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, i ...

, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and ISI involvement with drugs)'' ** Chotu gang ** Lyari Gang ** Afridi Network

Afghanistan

Golden Crescent The Golden Crescent is the name given to one of Asia's two principal areas of illicit opium production, with the other being the Golden Triangle. Located at the crossroads of Central, South, and West Asia, this space covers the mountainous per ...

** Afghan drug cartelsGlenny, Misha (2009) ''McMafia'', Vintage Books, ''(see also

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

)'' *** Noorzai Organization *** Khan organization *** Karzai organization (alleged) *** Bagcho organization

Central Asia

* Uzbek mafia ''(See also

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU; uz-Cyrl-Latn, Ўзбекистон исломий ҳаракати, Oʻzbekiston islomiy harakati; ) was a militant Islamist group formed in 1998 by Islamic ideologue Tahir Yuldashev and former Soviet p ...

)'' ** Rakhimov organization * Kyrgyz mafia ** Erkinbayev group ** Akmatbayev group ** Kolbayev group

West Asia

Israeli mafia The Israeli mafia (, or ) are the organized crime groups operating in Israel or consisting of Israeli members. There are 16 crime families operating in Israel, five major groups active on the national level and 11 smaller organizations. There are ...

''(see also

Stern Gang Lehi (; , sometimes abbreviated "LHI"), officially the Fighters for the Freedom of Israel () and often known pejoratively as the Stern Gang,"This group was known to its friends as LEHI and to its enemies as the Stern Gang." Blumberg, Arnold. ' ...

)'' **

Abergil Crime Family The Abergil Organization is an Israeli organized crime syndicate that has been active since the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The organization was founded by brothers Yaakov, Avi and Itzhak Abergil, of Moroccan Jewish origin, in the city o ...

משפחת הפשע אברג'יל ** Alperon crime family משפחת הפשע אלפרון ** Zeev Rosenstein organization ארגון זאב רוזנשטיין ** Palestinian organized crime ''(See also

Abu Nidal Organization The Abu Nidal Organization (ANO; ), officially Fatah – Revolutionary Council ( ), was a Palestinian militant group founded by Abu Nidal in 1974. It broke away from Fatah, a faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization, following t ...

)'' ***

Doghmush The Doghmush (, pronounced "Doe-moosh" or "Durmush", ''see spelling'') is a Palestinian clan from the Gaza Strip. Activities with Gaza's militant factions Members of the clan are affiliated or aligned with various Palestinian and Islamist grou ...

clan *

Turkish mafia Turkish mafia () is the general term for criminal organizations based in Turkey and/or composed of current or former Turkish citizens. Crime groups with origins in Turkey are active throughout Western Europe (where a strong Turkish immigrant comm ...

** Crime groups in Turkey ''(see also

Deep state Deep state is a term used for (real or imagined) potential, unauthorized and often secret networks of power operating independently of a State (polity), state's political leadership in pursuit of their own agendas and goals. Although the term ori ...

and Yüksekova Gang)'' *** Kılıç gang *** Çakıcı gang *** Yaprak Family *** Topal organisation *** Söylemez Gang *** Arifs **Turkish organised crime in Germany *** Arabacı clan ** İmaç clan (Netherlands) *

Kurdish mafia The Kurdish mafia () are organised crime groups run by ethnic Kurds. Outside of Kurdistan, the mafia spread mainly to countries in Western Asia and Europe, but also to North America and Afghanistan. History After the Ottoman Empire entered th ...

''(see also )'' ** Baybaşin Cartel ** Cantürk gang ** Ay gang ** Majid gang ** Rahimpur gang * Iranian organized crime ''(see also Jundallah and illegal activities of the

IRGC The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...

)'' ** Tahvili crime family *

Lebanese mafia Lebanese mafia is a colloquial term for organised crime groups which originate from Lebanon. Lebanese organised crime is active in the country of Lebanon itself, as well as in countries and areas with a large Lebanese community, most notably Au ...

''(see also Lebanese Civil War militias)'' **Arab crime clans *** Miri-Clan *** Al-Zein Clan ** Ibrahim clan

Eurasia

Russia

Although organized crime existed in the Soviet era, the gangs really gained in power and international reach during the transition to capitalism. The term

Russian Mafia The Russian mafia ( or ), also known as Bratva ( ; ) less as Obshchak (Общак) or Brigades (Бригады) , is a collective of various organized crime related elements originating or/and operating in Russia. In December 2009, Timur ...

, 'mafiya' or mob is a blanket (and somewhat inaccurate) term for the various organized crime groups that emerged in this period from the 15 former republics of the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and unlike their Italian counterparts does not mean members are necessarily of Russian ethnicity or uphold any ancient criminal traditions, although this is the case for some members. * Russian-Jewish mafia **

Brighton Beach Brighton Beach is a List of Brooklyn neighborhoods, neighborhood in the southern portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, within the greater Coney Island area along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Brighton Beach ...

***Evsei Agron, Agron gang ***Boris Nayfeld, Nayfeld gang ***Marat Balagula, Balagula gang **Semion Mogilevich, Mogilevich organization *Brothers' Circle (Existence is debatable) *Russian mafia ''(See also Lubyanka Criminal Group, Three Whales Corruption Scandal and Sergei Magnitsky)'' **Moscow ***Izmaylovskaya gang ***Solntsevskaya bratvaVarese, Frederico (2005) ''The Russian mafia: private protection in a new market economy'', Oxford University Press, ****Vyacheslav Ivankov, New York branch ***Orekhovskaya gang **St Petersburg#Crime, St Petersburg'' (See also Roman Tsepov#"Baltik-Eskort", Baltik-Eskort)'' ***Tambov Gang **Tolyatti#Organized crime, Togliatti mafia **Uralmash gang **Maxim Lazovsky, Lazovsky gang **Vitali Dyomochka, Vladivostok gang **Alexander Solonik, Kurganskaya group **Kushchevskaya massacre, Tsapok gang **Ryazan#Crime, 'Elephants' group **Kazan gang

North Caucasia

''See also Caucasus Emirate#Funding, Caucasus Emirate'' *Chechen mafia ''(See also Special Purpose Islamic Regiment and Kadyrovtsy)'' **Khozh-Ahmed Noukhayev, Obschina **Ruslan Labazanov, Labazanov gang

Georgia

*Georgian mafia ''(See also Mkhedrioni and Forest Brothers (Georgia), Forest Brothers)'' **Tariel Oniani, Kutaisi clan **Aslan Usoyan, Tbilisi clan **Otari Kvantrishvili, 21st Century Association

Armenia

*Armenian mafiaCBS News/Associated Press – Armenian Organized Crime Grows More Complex
/ref> **2010 Medicaid Fraud#Leadership and members of the organization, Mirzoyan-Terdjanian organization **Armenian Power

Azerbaijan

*Azeri mafia **Rovshan Janiev, Janiev organization

Europe

Sweden

*Original Gangsters (gang), Original Gangsters *Fucked For Life *Uppsalamaffian *Organized crime in Sweden, Chosen Ones *Organized crime in Sweden, Werewolf Legion *Organized crime in Sweden, Asir *2015 Gothenburg pub shooting, Vårvädersligan

Netherlands

*Organized crime in the Netherlands **Klaas Bruinsma (drug lord), Bruinsma drug gang **Willem Holleeder, Holleeder gang **Moroccan mafia

France

*Milieu (organized crime in France), French Milieu ''(See also Service d'Action Civique)'' **Corsican mafiaGayraud, Jean-François (2009) ''Showbiz, people et corruption'', Odile Jacob, ***Unione Corse ***Gang de la Brise de Mer, Brise de Mer gang **Milieu (organized crime in France)#Les Caïds Des Cités, Les Caïds Des Cités ***Rédoine Faïd, Faïd gang ***The Affair of the Gang of Barbarians, The Barbarians **Gang des postiches, Wigs gang **Alexandre Villaplane, North African Brigade ''(see also Carlingue)'' **Gang des Tractions Avant, Tractions Avant gang **Jacky Imbert, Bande des Trois Canards **Milieu (organized crime in France)#"Traveler" Gangs, French gypsy gangs ***Hornec gang

Greece

*Greek mafia

Ireland

*Ireland **History of Dublin#Heroin problem, Dublin ***Martin Cahill, Cahill gangNewton, Michael (2007) ''Gangsters Encyclopedia'', Anova Books, ***John Gilligan (Irish criminal), Gilligan gang ***Martin Foley, Foley gang ***Martin "Marlo" Hyland, Hyland gang ***Eamon Dunne, Dunne gang ***The Westies (Irish gang), The Westies **Limerick feud, Limerick ***McCarthy-Dundon ***Keane-Collopy **Rathkeale Rovers **Kinahan Organised Crime Group

Spain

*Crime in Spain, Spain **Galician mafia **Romani people, Romani clans ***Francisca Cortés Picazo, El Clan De La Paca

Poland

*Crime in Poland, Poland ''(See also Group 13)'' **Pruszków mafia **Crime in Poland, Wołomin mafia

Slovakia

*Slovak mafia **Slovak mafia#Hungaro-Slovak mafia, Hungaro-Slovak mafia

Hungary

*Veszprém stabbing, Raffael clan *Veszprém stabbing, Sztojka clan

Czech Republic

*František Mrázek, Mrázek organization *Radovan Krejčíř, Krejčíř organization

Italy

*Sicilian Mafia **Sicilian Mafia Commission **mandamento (Sicilian Mafia), Mandamenti ***''See also List of Sicilian Mafia clans'' ***

***Inzerillo Mafia clan ***Corleonesi ***Greco Mafia clan ***Motisi Mafia clan *'Ndrangheta *La Provincia **''See also List of 'ndrine'' **Honoured Society (Australia), Honoured Society (Melbourne) **Mammoliti 'ndrina **Bellocco 'ndrina **Cataldo 'ndrina **

**Cordì 'ndrina **De Stefano 'ndrina **Pesce 'ndrina **Barbaro 'ndrina **Piromalli 'ndrina **Serraino 'ndrina **

*CamorraRoberto Saviano (2006) ''Gomorrah: Italy's Other Mafia'', Mondadori, . **Secondigliano Alliance ***Licciardi clan ***Contini clan ***Lo Russo clan ***Mallardo clan **Di Lauro Clan **Casalesi clan **Mario Fabbrocino, Fabbrocino clan **Vollaro clan **Scissionisti di Secondigliano **Augusto La Torre, La Torre clan **Polverino clan **Rinaldi clan **De Luca Bossa clan **Aprea-Cuccaro clan **Cesarano clan **Giuseppe Puca, Puca clan *Sacra Corona Unita *Società foggiana *Stidda *Mala del Brenta *Banda della Magliana *2014 Rome corruption scandal, Mafia Capitale *Romani people, Sinti Casamonica clan *Clan Spada di Ostia (Rome), Ostia *Crime in Italy#Central and Northern Italy, Milanese gangs **Banda della Comasina **Francis Turatello, Turatello crew

Balkans

Balkan organized crime gained prominence in the chaos following the communist era, notably the transition to capitalism and the wars in former Yugoslavia. *Albanian mafia **Crime in Kosovo, Kosovan mafia **Albanian Rebellion of 1997#Gangs, Albania ***Gang of Çole ***Gang of Gaxhai ***Gang of Pusi i Mezinit ***Lazarat marijuana growers **Rudaj Organization (New York City) ** Gang of Ismail Lika **Princ Dobroshi, Dobroshi gang (International) **NaserliganDagens Nyheter – Ligorna har kopplat greppet om Sverige
(Swedish) (Sweden) **Organized crime in Sweden, K-Falangen (Sweden) *Bosnian mafia **Jusuf Prazina, Prazina gangSiegel, Dina (2003) ''Global organized crime: trends and developments'', Springer, **Ismet Bajramović, Bajramović gang **Ramiz Delalić, Delalić gang **Organized crime in Sweden, M-Falangen (Sweden) *Bulgarian mafia ''(see also Multigroup)'' **VIS (criminal organisation), VIS **SIC (criminal organisation), SIC **Ivo Karamanski, Karamanski gang **TIM (firm), TIM **Naglite **Anti-Roma protests in Bulgaria 2011, Rashkov clan *Serbian mafia **Željko Ražnatović, Arkan clan **Zemun Clan **Joca Amsterdam gang **Ljubomir Magaš, Magaš clan **Đorđe Božović, Giška gang **Pink Panthers **Serb mafia in Scandinavia ***Rade Kotur, Kotur mob ***Ratko Đokić, Yugoslav Brotherhood *Montenegrin mafia ''(see also Milo Đukanović#Criminal investigation in Italy, allegations of Milo Đukanović's involvement in cigarette smuggling)'' *Romanian organized crime, Romanian mafia **Sergiu Băhăian, Băhăian organisation

Great Britain

*Crime in London, London **Clerkenwell crime syndicate, Adams crime family **The Richardson GangMorton, James ''Gangland Volume 2: The Underworld in Britain and Ireland'', 1995, **Kray Twins, The Firm **Bernie Silver, The Syndicate **Jack Comer, Comer gang **Lee Murray, Buttmarsh Boys **Interwar unemployment and poverty in the United Kingdom, Interwar era mobs ***Messina Brothers ***Sabini syndicateThomas, Donald (2006) ''Villains' paradise: a history of Britain's underworld'', Pegasus Books, ***Hoxton Gang ***Elephant and Castle Mob ***Birmingham Boys *Rettendon murders, Essex Boys *Gun crime in south Manchester, Manchester **Quality Street Gang **Desmond Noonan, Noonan firm **Cheetham Hillbillies **The Gooch Close Gang *Crime in Liverpool, Liverpool **Curtis Warren, Curtis Warren's drug empire **Whitney gang *Aggi Crew *British firms (organized crime)#Glasgow crime families, Glasgow **Thomas McGraw, McGraw firm **Arthur Thompson (gangster), Thompson firm **Walter Douglas, Delta Crime Syndicate *Bestwood Estate#Recent years, Bestwood Cartel

Ukraine

*Ukrainian mafia **Donetsk Clan **Sergey Aksyonov#Alleged links to organized crime, Salem gang

Lithuania

*Foreign relations of Lithuania#Illicit drug trafficking, Lithuanian mafia **Boris Dekanidze, Vilnius Brigade

Estonia

*Estonian mafia/Obtshak **Toomas Helin, Linnuvabriku group

Transnistria

*Mafia state#Transnistria, Transnistrian mafia

Australia

*Crime in Sydney, Sydney **5T (gang), 5T gangSmall, Clive & Gilling, Tom (2010) ''Smack Express: How Organized Crime Got Hooked on Drugs'', Allen & Unwin, (1985–1999) **George Freeman (bookmaker), Freeman gang (defunct) **Lenny McPherson, Lenny's gang (1960s) **Abe Saffron, Mr Sin's gang **Razor gangs (1920s) *Crime in Melbourne, Melbourne **The Carlton Crew, Carlton Crew **Moran family **Carl Williams (criminal), Williams family **Pettingill family **Squizzy Taylor, Richmond gang *Crime in Perth, Perth **Salvator cartel

References

External links

"Mexico: Drug Cartels a Growing Threat"
orldpress, 2006 {{Gangs Drug cartels, Illegal drug trade Organized crime groups Organized crime terminology Smuggling Transnational organized crime

Structure

Falcons

Hitmen

Lieutenants

Drug lords

Other roles

Africa

Americas

North America

Canada

Mexico

United States

=La Cosa Nostra

=Active crime families

=Defunct mafia families

=Jewish mafia Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

=African-American organized crime In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African American organized crime emerged following the Great Migration (African American), first and Second Great Migration (African American), second large-scale migrations of African Americans from the ...

= Irish Mob

Caribbean

South America

Brazil

Bolivia

Colombia

Peru

Venezuela

Central America

Honduras

El Salvador

Nicaragua

Asia

East Asia

Korea

Japan

= Japanese criminal organizations

Chinese

Southeast Asia

Vietnamese Xã Hội Đen

South Asia

India

=Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

=Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Afghanistan

Central Asia

West Asia

Eurasia

Russia

North Caucasia

Georgia

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Europe

Sweden

Netherlands

France

Greece

Ireland

Spain

Poland

Slovakia

Hungary

Czech Republic

Italy

Balkans

Great Britain

Ukraine

Lithuania

Estonia

Transnistria

Australia

References

Further reading

External links

=
Jewish mafia Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

=
African-American organized crime In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African American organized crime emerged following the Great Migration (African American), first and Second Great Migration (African American), second large-scale migrations of African Americans from the ...

=
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

=
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...