A drug cartel is a criminal organization composed of independent drug lords who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the illegal drug trade. Drug cartels form with the purpose of controlling the supply of the illegal drug trade and maintaining prices at a high level. The formations of drug cartels are common in Latin American countries. Rivalries between multiple drug cartels cause them to wage turf wars against each other. The term "narcotics cartel" is sometimes used to describe an organization that sells and trafficks narcotics (defined as substances that are illegal, such as cocaine in most places), but this term is not always used accurately as cartels can traffick eg. marijuana in jurisdictions where it is not illegal.
Structure Scouts (Falcons) Considered as the "eyes and ears" of the streets, the "falcons" are the lowest rank in any drug cartel in Latin America. They are scouts, who are responsible for conducting reconnaissance, such as reporting the activities of the police, the military 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, law enforcement 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 lords 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, distributors, sales representatives, accountants 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 MungikiKinnear, Karen L (2009) Gangs: a reference handbook, ABC-CLIO, Organized crime in NigeriaShanty, Frank & Mishra, Patit (2007) Organized crime : from trafficking to terrorism, ABC-CLIO, Confraternities in Nigeria Black Axe (organized crime group) Anini gang Mai-Mai militia gangs Moroccan hashish smugglers Ahmed organization
Americas
North America
Canada Rivard organization Red Scorpions Bacon Brothers United Nations gang Montreal West End Gang Blass gang Dubois Brothers Indo-Canadian organized crime Brothers Keepers (gang) 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 Cotroni crime family Musitano crime family Papalia crime family Luppino crime family Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan Perri crime family Siderno Group Commisso 'ndrina
Mexico
Mexican cartels (also known in Mexico as: la Mafia (the mafia 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 drug war (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), [s. 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 instituted social media demonstrations of torture and sadism in their reprisals which changed the rules of the game among the Mexican cartels.Grayson, George W. THE EVOLUTION OF LOS ZETAS IN MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA: SADISM AS AN INSTRUMENT OF CARTEL WARFARE. Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, 2014. Retrieved 5 Feb. 2025. The level of violence and social instability greatly increased during the presidency of Felipe Calderon.Wax-Edwards, Jessica. “Introduction.” Documenting Violence in Calderón’s Mexico: Visual Culture, Resistance and Memorialisation, Boydell & Brewer, 2023, pp. 1–8. Retrieved 5 February 2025. 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.YADAV, SUHASINI. “Mexican Drug Cartelisation: THE LONG WAR AND ROLE OF THE UNITED STATES (2000–2016).” World Affairs: The Journal of International Issues, vol. 26, no. 2, 2022, pp. 40–59. Retrieved 5 Feb. 2025. The former head of Mexican law enforcement, Genaro García Luna, was sentenced in the Eastern District of New York on October 16, 2024 for his role in Sinaloa Cartel associated drug trafficking in the United States.United States Attorney's Office. (16 October 2024). "Press Release:Ex-Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro Garcia Luna Sentenced to Over 38 Years' Imprisonment". U.S. Attorney's Office website Retrieved 5 February 2025.
Note: As of 2020 the DEA considered the cartels of Sinaloa, Jalisco and Golfo-Noreste-Zetas to be the most influential cartels in Mexico.
Sinaloa Cartel (Spawned from the Guadalajara Cartel) Colima Cartel (members are now a branch of the Sinaloa Cartel) Sonora Cartel (was reformed in 2018 and is still a branch of the Sinaloa Cartel) Los Ántrax (enforcer squad) La Resistencia (Splintered from the Milenio Cartel; disbanded)
Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Independent remnants of the Milenio Cartel) Gulf Cartel (The oldest Mexican criminal syndicate, started as Prohibition-era bootlegging gang) Los Zetas (Formerly part of the Gulf Cartel, now independent) Zetas Vieja Escuela (Formerly part of Los Zetas, now independent) Cártel del Noreste (Formerly part of Los Zetas, now independent) La Familia Michoacana (Formerly a branch of the Gulf Cartel, then went independent)La Familia MichoacanaCarlos Rosales Mendoza La Nueva Familia Michoacana Organization (Splintered from La Familia Cartel) Knights Templar Cartel (Splintered from La Familia Cartel) Los Negros (Beltran-Leyva enforcement squad; disbanded) South Pacific Cartel (branch of the Beltran Leyva Cartel in Morelos) Independent Cartel of Acapulco (Splinter from the Beltran-Leyva Cartel) La Barredora (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 (Spawned from the Guadalajara Cartel) Oaxaca Cartel (Was a branch of the disbanded Tijuana Cartel, its regional leader was captured in 2007) Juárez Cartel (Spawned from the Guadalajara Cartel) La Línea (Juárez Cartel enforcer squad) Barrio Azteca (U.S. street gang) (Allied with La Linea) Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel Caborca Cartel Lesser-known small-criminal organizations: Los Mexicles (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 (Army and Navy) Mexico City International Airport Club Xoloitzcuintles (football) United States officials:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
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 Saltis-McErlane GangSifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. Kielbasa Posse The Greenpoint Crew Flats Mob The Flathead gangKavieff, Paul (2008) Detroit's Infamous Purple Gang Arcadia Publishing, Prohibition-era gangs Galveston Downtown Gang Beach Gang The Maceo syndicate Shelton Brothers GangAngle, Paul M (2991) Bloody Williamson: A Chapter in American Lawlessness, University of Illinois Press, Sheldon Gang Broadway Mob The Lanzetta Brothers Circus Cafe Gang Wandering Family Remus organization
Hispanic-American Marielitos The Corporation Mexican Mafia Surenos or Sur 13 Border Brothers Paisas Nuestra Familia Nortenos or Norte 14
Mafia Azteca Brown Pride or BP Puerto Rican mafia Agosto organization La ONU Martinez Familia Sangeros Solano organization Negri organization Márquez gambling ring Polanco-Rodriguez organization Los Angeles (See also Rampart scandal) Nash gang Wonderland Gang Crips or Locs Bloods or B Dogs Dixie Mafia Cornbread Mafia Greek-American organized crime Philadelphia Greek Mob Velentzas Family Chaldean mafiaSalinger, Lawrence (2005) Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime: A–I, Volume 1 Sage, Hawaii 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 CommissionCapeci, Jerry (2002) The complete idiot's guide to the Mafia, Alpha Books, The Five Families of New York City Bonanno Indelicato crew The Motion Lounge Crew Colombo Scarpa crew Genovese 116th Street Crew Greenwich Village Crew New Jersey Crew Gambino Ozone Park Boys DeMeo crew Baltimore Crew South Florida faction New Jersey faction The Bergin Crew Cherry Hill Gambinos Lucchese The Jersey Crew The Vario Crew 107th Street gang Magaddino crime family DeCavalcante crime family The Chicago Outfit (see also Unione Siciliane) Las Vegas crew (defunct) Philadelphia crime family Pittsburgh crime family Patriarca crime family Angiulo Brothers crew Cleveland crime family Los Angeles crime family Kansas City crime family Trafficante crime family Detroit Partnership Milwaukee crime family New Orleans crime family
Defunct mafia families Morello crime family Genna crime family Porrello crime family St. Louis crime family Rochester Crime Family Bufalino crime family Dallas crime family Denver crime family San Francisco crime family San Jose crime family Seattle crime family Omaha crime family Licavoli Mob Cardinelli gang New York Camorra East Harlem Purple Gang National Crime Syndicate Seven Group Murder, Inc.Rockaway, Robert A (2000) But he was good to his mother: the lives and crimes of Jewish gangsters, Gefen Publishing House Ltd,
Jewish mafia New York City Schultz gang The Bugs and Meyer Mob Shapiro Brothers Yiddish Black Hand Rothstein organization Kaplan gang Rosenzweig gang Boston 69th Street Gang Sagansky organization Solomon organization Los Angeles Mickey Cohen gang (mix between Jewish and Italian members) The Purple Gang Zwillman gang Kid Cann's gang Birger mob Cleveland Syndicate
African-American organized crime