Drug cartel
A drug cartel is any criminal organization developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied[when?] when the largest trafficking organizations reached an agreement to coordinate the production and distribution of cocaine. Since that agreement was broken up,[vague][when?] drug cartels are no longer[when?] actually cartels, but the term stuck and it is now[when?] popularly used to refer to any criminal narcotics related organization, such as those in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, South Korea, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Japan, Italy, France, United States, Colombia, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The basic structure of a drug cartel is as follows:
- Falcons (Spanish: Halcones): Considered the "eyes and ears" of the streets, the 'falcons' are the lowest rank in any drug cartel. They are responsible for supervising and reporting the activities of the police, the military and their rival groups.[1]
- Hitmen (Spanish: Sicarios): The armed group within the drug cartel that are responsible for carrying out assassinations, kidnappings, thefts, extortions, operating protection rackets, and defending their 'plaza' (turf) from rival groups and the military.[2][3]
- Lieutenants (Spanish: Lugartenientes): The second highest position in the drug cartel organization that are responsible for supervising the hitmen and falcons within their own territory. They are allowed to carry out low-profile executions without permission from their bosses.[4]
- Drug lords (Spanish: Capos): The highest position in any drug cartel that are responsible for supervising the entire drug industry, appointing territorial leaders, making alliances, and planning high-profile executions.[5]
It is worth noting that there are other operating groups within the drug cartels. For example, the drug producers and suppliers,[6] although not considered in the basic structure, are critical operators of any drug cartel, along with the financiers and money launderers.[7][8][9] In addition, the arms suppliers operate in a completely different circle,[10] and are technically not considered part of the cartel’s logistics.
America
United States
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/US_Violent_Crime_2004.svg/220px-US_Violent_Crime_2004.svg.png)
The United States of America is the world's largest consumer of cocaine[11] and other illegal drugs.[12][13][14][15] This is a list of American criminal organizations involved in illegal drug traffic, drug trade and other related crimes in the United States:
- Aryan Brotherhood
- American Mafia
- Nazi Lowriders
- Irish Mob
- Jewish-American organized crime
- Israeli mafia[16]
- Black Guerilla Family
- Black Mafia Family
- Crips
- Bloods
- Gangster Disciples
- Vice Lords
- Zoe Pound
- Texas Syndicate[17]
- LA Eme[18]
- MS-13[19]
- Nuestra Familia
- Logan Heights Gang[20]
- 18th Street gang
- Sureños 13
- Norteños 14
- Mexikanemi
- PEN1
- Bandidos
- Pagan's
- Vagos MC
- Mongols MC
- Outlaws MC
- The Devil's Rejects (The People's Syndicate) [citation needed]
Other American organizations involved (or that have been involved) in drug trade or traffic. It is worth mentioning, however, that this does not imply for the whole institutions mentioned below, just a selected few within it:
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection[21][22]
- United States Immigration and Naturalization Service[23]
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)[23]
- United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)[24]
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) [25]
Mexico
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Mexican_drug_cartels_2008.jpg/240px-Mexican_drug_cartels_2008.jpg)
Mexican cartels (also known in Mexico as: La Mafia (the mafia or the mob), La Maña (the skill / the bad manners),[26] Narcotraficantes (Narco-Traffickers), or simply as Narcos) is a generic term that usually refers to several, usually rival, criminal organizations involved in the Mexican Drug War:[27]
- Gulf Cartel
- Los Zetas (Formerly part of the Gulf cartel, now independent)
- La Familia Michoacana (Formerly a branch of the Gulf Cartel, then went independent)[28][29] (Disbanded)
- Los Caballeros Templarios (Splintered from La Familia Cartel)[30]
- Sinaloa Cartel
- Colima Cartel (Disbanded, former members are now a branch of the Sinaloa Cartel)[31]
- Sonora Cartel (Disbanded in 1989, its remnants joined the Sinaloa Cartel)[31]
- Artistas Asesinos (gang)[32] (Disbanded)
- Gente Nueva[33] (Disbanded)
- Los Ántrax
- Milenio Cartel (First loyal to the Sinaloa Cartel federation, later independent) (Disbanded)
- La Resistencia[34] (Splintered from the milenio cartel) (Disbanded)
- Jalisco New Generation Cartel[35] (Independent remnants of the Milenio cartel)
- Beltrán-Leyva Cartel (Formerly part of the Sinaloa Cartel federation, later independent) (Disbanded)
- Los Negros (Beltran-Leyva enforcement squad) (Disbanded)
- South Pacific Cartel (branch of the Beltran Leyva Cartel in Morelos)[36][37][38]
- Cártel Independiente de Acapulco[39] (Splinter from the Beltran-Leyva Cartel)
- La Barredora (gang)[40]
- El Comando Del Diablo (gang)[41] (Hitman squad of la Baredora)[42] (Disbanded)
- La Mano Con Ojos (gang)[43] (small cell of Beltran-Leyva members in the State of Mexico) (Disbanded)
- La Nueva Administración[44] (Splintered from the Beltran-Leyva Cartel) (Disbanded)
- Cártel del Centro[45] (cell of the Beltran-Leyva Cartel in Mexico City) (Disbanded)
- La Oficina (gang)[46] (cell of the Beltran-Leyva Cartel in Aguascalientes) (Disbanded)
- Tijuana Cartel
- Oaxaca Cartel (Was a branch of the Disbanded Tijuana Cartel, its regional leader was captured in 2007)
- Juárez Cartel
- La Línea (Juárez Cartel enforcer squad)
- Barrio Azteca (U.S. Street Gang)[47][47] (Allied with La Linea)
Several other are lesser-known small-criminal organizations:
- Guadalajara Cartel (The first Mexican Cartel, from which most of the big cartels spawned) (Disbanded in 1989)
- Cártel de La Calle[48]
- Cártel de la Sierra[49]
- Los Mexicles (U.S. Street Gang)[50]
- Los Chachos (gang)[51][52]
- Los Texas (gang)[53]
Other organizations involved (or have been involved) in the drug trade in Mexico. It is worth mentioning, however, that this does not necessarily imply for the whole institutions mentioned below, just a selected few within it:
- UNITED STATES ORGANIZATIONS:
- MEXICAN ORGANIZATIONS:
Colombia
Until 2011 Colombia remained the world's largest cocaine producer,[66] however with a strong anti-narcotic strategy in 2012 the country achieved a great decrease in cocaine production, felling to the 3rd position, behind Peru and Bolivia.[67]
The current main actors in the drug trade are:
- Neo-paramilitary criminal gangs, also called BACRIM[68]
- ELN (Weakened by a US-backed counter-insurgency plan)
- FARC (Weakened by a US-backed counter-insurgency plan)
- EPL (Partially demobilized)
Historical actors in the drug trade were:
- Cali Cartel (dissolved)
- Medellín Cartel (dismantled)
- North Coast Cartel (dismantled)
- Norte del Valle Cartel (dissolved)
- AUC (demobilized)
Central America
Brazil
Canada
- West End Gang
- Rock Machine
- Canadian Aboriginal organized crime
- Indo-Canadian organized crime
- including Tamil organized crime
Jamaica
Haiti
Asia
Russia
Afghanistan
Golden Triangle
China
Japan
Israel
- Abergil crime family
- Abutbul crime family[72]
- Alperon crime family
- Dumrani crime family
- Shirazi crime family
- Amir Molnar crime syndicate
- Zeev Rosenstein crime syndicate
Europe
Italy
- Ndrangheta
- Cosa Nostra
- Camorra Mafia
- La Stidda
- Sacra Corona Unita
- Mala del Brenta
- Basilischi Mafia[73]
- Nuova Famiglia Salentina,[74]
- Rosa dei Venti[75]
- Remo Lecce Libera,[76]
- Società foggiana[77]
- Clan dei Casamonica[78]
United Kingdom
- British crime firms
- including Turkish-Cypriot mafia and Pakistani mafia,
- Tottenham Mandem
- Woolwich Boys
- Cheetham Hillbillies
Netherlands
- Dutch Penose
- including Riffian mafia and Kajahatan
- No Limit Soldiers in Curaçao and the Netherlands
France
- French Milieu
- including Caids des Cités
Other parts of the world
- Kkangpae
- United Wa State Army
- Dojin-kai
- Kyushu Seido-kai
- Bosnian mafia
- Bulgarian mafia
- Albanian mafia
- Corsican mafia
- Estonian mafia
- Irish mob
- Liverpudlian mafia
- Macedonian Mafia
- Montenegrin Mafia
- Serbian mafia
- Slovak mafia
- Triad
- Moroccan mafia
- Shower Posse
- History of Jardine, Matheson & Co.
- Cartel del Az
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(help) - ^ Paolocci, Tiziana (July 28, 2007). "Scacco matto ai Casamonica: sei in manette e tre denunciati". Il Giornale.it.
Further reading
- Aire, Jose Gutierrez (2012). Blood, Death, Drugs and Sex in Old Mexico. Createspace Independent Pub. ISBN 147759227X.
- PBS. 2006. Frontline: Drug Wars.