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Drug cartel#Mexico

{{Short description|Group drug trafficking operations}}

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.{{dubious|date=May 2025}} Rivalries between multiple drug cartels cause them to wage turf wars against each other. Drug cartels often transport both drugs and narcotics, 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, such as reporting the activities of the police, the military and rival groups.{{cite news|title=Va Marina por 'halcones del crimen organizado|url=http://www.mundonarco.com/2011/04/va-marina-por-halcones-del-crimen.html|newspaper=Blog del Narco|date=21 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827061101/http://www.mundonarco.com/2011/04/va-marina-por-halcones-del-crimen.html|archive-date=27 August 2011}}

= 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.{{cite news|last=Bowden|first=Charles|title=El sicario, un documental proscrito en México (1)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C45xR_48mQ |website=YouTube |date=Feb 6, 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411020804/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C45xR_48mQ|archive-date=2016-04-11}}{{cite news|last=Bowden|first=Charles F |author2=((axellmx1)) |title=El sicario, un documental proscrito en México (2)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDFDxtjGuuI |website=YouTube |date=Feb 6, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630083554/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDFDxtjGuuI|archive-date=2016-06-30}}

= 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.{{cite news|title=Ejército detiene a lugarteniente del cártel del Golfo|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/602145.html|newspaper=El Universal|date=2 June 2009|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012114558/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/602145.html|archive-date=12 October 2012}}

= 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.{{cite web|title=DATOS – Principales capos de la droga en México|url=http://mx.ibtimes.com/articles/6593/20101106/lideres-droga-mexico-narcotrafico.htm|work=International Business Times |date=November 6, 2010 |access-date=November 6, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715171715/http://mx.ibtimes.com/articles/6593/20101106/lideres-droga-mexico-narcotrafico.htm|archive-date=July 15, 2012}}

= Other roles =

There are other operating groups within the drug cartels. For example, the drug producers and suppliers,{{cite journal|title=Uncovering the link between the Mexican drug cartels|journal=National Defense University: Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies|url=http://www.ndu.edu/chds/SRC-peru07/SRC_PAPERS/TRACK%201/VELARDE_SPA%20final.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615194812/http://www.ndu.edu/chds/SRC-peru07/SRC_PAPERS/TRACK%201/VELARDE_SPA%20final.pdf|archive-date=2011-06-15}} 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.{{cite news |title=Las 5 caras del lavado de dinero |url=http://www.cnnexpansion.com/economia/2010/06/07/lavado-de-dinero-narco-mexico-eu |first1=Tania M. |last1=Moreno |newspaper= CNNExpansión |date=8 June 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214015/http://www.cnnexpansion.com/economia/2010/06/07/lavado-de-dinero-narco-mexico-eu |archive-date= Mar 3, 2016 }}{{cite news |title=Cae 'El Adal' operador financiero de los Zetas |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBEDcgepE6M&feature=channel_video_title |access-date=3 August 2011 |newspaper=TV Milenio |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110120521/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBEDcgepE6M&feature=channel_video_title |archive-date=10 January 2015 }}{{cite news |title=Cae 'El Míchel' operador financiero de Los Zetas en Aguascalientes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpM93oU7ICM |access-date=3 August 2011 |newspaper=Tele Diario |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110120525/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpM93oU7ICM |archive-date=10 January 2015 }} Furthermore, the arms suppliers operate in a completely different circle;{{cite news |title=Entrevista a el Mamito, presunto fundador de los Zetas |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HacDTEn2TDs |newspaper=CNN Videos |date=Jul 6, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529140022/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HacDTEn2TDs |archive-date=2016-05-29 }} they are technically not considered part of the cartel's logistics.

Africa

{{See also|Taxi wars in South Africa|blood diamond|Kivu conflict#Conflict minerals|Barbary Coast|Piracy in Somalia|Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb|Boko Haram}}

Americas

{{see also|Illegal drug trade in Latin America}}

=North America=

==Canada==

==Mexico==

{{distinguish|Mexican Mafia}}

File:Mexican drug cartels 2008.jpg, a U.S. Counter-Narcotics Assistance to Mexico]]

Mexican cartels (also known in Mexico as: la Mafia (the mafia or the mob), La Maña (the skill / the bad manners),{{cite news|title=Controla 'La Maña' a Reynosa, Tamaulipas|url=http://www.terra.com.mx/noticias/articulo/790419/Controla+La+Mana+a+Reynosa+Tamaulipas.htm|newspaper=Terra Noticias|date=2 March 2009|access-date=4 August 2011|archive-date=18 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918080602/http://www.terra.com.mx/noticias/articulo/790419/Controla+La+Mana+a+Reynosa+Tamaulipas.htm|url-status=dead}} 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):{{cite web|last=Guerrero Gutiérrez|first=Eduardo|title=At the root of the violence|url=http://www.idpc.net/sites/default/files/library/wola_guerrero_root_of_violence.pdf|publisher=Nexos|access-date=9 October 2011}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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. {{JSTOR|resrep11767}}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. {{doi|10.2307/j.ctv30pntt2.6}} 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. {{JSTOR|48681980}} 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". [https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/ex-mexican-secretary-public-security-genaro-garcia-luna-sentenced-over-38-years U.S. Attorney's Office website] Retrieved 5 February 2025.

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.{{cite news |title=Estos son los nueve cárteles mexicanos que influyen en el trafico de drogas hacia EEUU, según la DEA |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/mexico/2021/03/03/estos-son-los-nueve-carteles-mexicanos-que-influyen-en-el-trafico-de-drogas-hacia-eeuu-segun-la-dea/ |access-date=March 3, 2021 |publisher=Infobae |date=March 3, 2021 |language=es-ES}}

  • Gulf Cartel (The oldest Mexican criminal syndicate, started as Prohibition-era bootlegging gang)
  • Los Zetas (Formerly part of the Gulf Cartel, now independent)
  • La Familia Michoacana (Formerly a branch of the Gulf Cartel, then went independent)La Familia MichoacanaCarlos Rosales Mendoza
  • Knights Templar Cartel (Splintered from La Familia Cartel){{cite web|url=http://eleconomista.com.mx/columnas/columna-especial-politica/2011/09/07/resistencia-jalisco-nueva-generacion|title=La Resistencia y Jalisco Nueva Generación|access-date=16 December 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220042809/http://eleconomista.com.mx/columnas/columna-especial-politica/2011/09/07/resistencia-jalisco-nueva-generacion |archive-date=20 December 2014}}
  • Sinaloa Cartel (Spawned from the Guadalajara Cartel)
  • Colima Cartel (members are now a branch of the Sinaloa Cartel){{cite web |url=http://www.fpri.org/enotes/200708.grayson.mexicodrugcartels.html |title=E-Notes: Mexico and the Drug Cartels – FPRI |access-date=2010-09-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309155416/http://www.fpri.org/enotes/200708.grayson.mexicodrugcartels.html |archive-date=2012-03-09 }}
  • Sonora Cartel (was reformed in 2018 and is still a branch of the Sinaloa Cartel)
  • Los Ántrax (enforcer squad)File:Sinaloa Cartel Drug Tunnel.jpg used by the Sinaloa Cartel]]
  • La Resistencia (Splintered from the Milenio Cartel; disbanded)
  • Jalisco New Generation Cartel{{cite news|title=Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación va contra todos|url=http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2011/06/cartel-de-jalisco-nueva-generacion-va.html|newspaper=Blog Del Narco|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807064647/http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2011/06/cartel-de-jalisco-nueva-generacion-va.html|archive-date=2011-08-07}} (Independent remnants of the Milenio Cartel)
  • Los Negros (Beltran-Leyva enforcement squad; disbanded)
  • South Pacific Cartel (branch of the Beltran Leyva Cartel in Morelos){{cite web|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/primera/35971.html|title=El Universal – Arresto de El Ponchis exhibe vacos legales|date=23 June 2013|access-date=16 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413124307/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/primera/35971.html|archive-date=13 April 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.inflexwetrust.com/2010/12/04/child-assassin-named-el-ponchisarrested-by-mexican-army/|title=Child Assassin named 'El Ponchis' Arrested By Mexican Army!! |access-date=16 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129065323/http://www.inflexwetrust.com/2010/12/04/child-assassin-named-el-ponchisarrested-by-mexican-army/|archive-date=29 November 2014|date=2010-12-04}}{{cite web|url=http://site.ninjacops.com/blog/4039/alleged-u-s-teen-cartel-assassin-arrested/|title=Alleged U.S teen cartel assassin arrested – Stun Gun Savior Self Defense Blog|access-date=16 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129032855/http://site.ninjacops.com/blog/4039/alleged-u-s-teen-cartel-assassin-arrested/|archive-date=29 November 2014}}File:Drug-War Related Murders in Mexico 2006-2011.png related murders in Mexico, 2006–2011]]
  • Independent Cartel of Acapulco{{cite news|title=Capturan a 'El Padrino', identificado como líder del Cártel Independiente de Acapulco|url=http://www.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/3caab1c4736e2260b6f80d90cf77d05c|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910073907/http://www.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/3caab1c4736e2260b6f80d90cf77d05c|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-09-10|newspaper=Milenio TV}} (Splinter from the Beltran-Leyva Cartel)
  • La Barredora (gang){{cite news|title=Caen otros seis integrantes de La Barredora|url=http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2011/08/caen-otros-seis-integrantes-de-la.html|access-date=24 August 2011|newspaper=Blog del Narco|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408220159/http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2011/08/caen-otros-seis-integrantes-de-la.html|archive-date=8 April 2014}}
  • 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){{cite news |title=Se presenta el Cártel de la Sierra en Guerrero con seis ejecutados |url=http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=521533 |newspaper=La Crónica |date=2010-07-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403015440/http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=521533 |archive-date=2012-04-03 }}{{cite web|url=http://contralinea.com.mx/archivo-revista/index.php/2014/10/13/en-guerrero-26-carteles-del-narcotrafico/|title=En Guerrero, 26 cárteles del narcotráfico|date=13 October 2014|access-date=20 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20170121032841/http://contralinea.com.mx/archivo-revista/index.php/2014/10/13/en-guerrero-26-carteles-del-narcotrafico/|archive-date=21 January 2017}}
  • Cártel de La Calle (cell in Chiapas){{cite news|title=Aparece el Cártel de La Calle en Chiapas|url=http://www.blogdelnarco.com/2011/08/aparece-el-cartel-de-la-calle-en.html|access-date=6 August 2011|newspaper=Blog del Narco}}{{cite web|url=http://www.oem.com.mx/laprensa/notas/n3556880.htm|title=Organización Editorial Mexicana|access-date=20 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305005935/http://www.oem.com.mx/laprensa/notas/n3556880.htm|archive-date=5 March 2016}}
  • Los Chachos (gang in Tamaulipas) (Disbanded){{cite news|last=Cacho|first=Lydia|title=La otra historia de 'La Barbie'|url=http://www.zocalo.com.mx/seccion/opinion-articulo/la-otra-historia-de-la-barbie/|newspaper=Zócalo Saltillo|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929202751/http://www.zocalo.com.mx/seccion/opinion-articulo/la-otra-historia-de-la-barbie/|archive-date=2011-09-29}}{{cite news|last=Otero|first=Sylvia|title=Surge nuevo 'narcoperfil'|url=http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/noticia.html?id_nota=100976&tabla=nacion|newspaper=El Universal|date=20 August 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111155629/http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/noticia.html?id_nota=100976&tabla=nacion|archive-date=11 January 2012}}
  • 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){{cite news|title=Los Aztecas fueron los asesinos; en EU y México hay 5 mil|url=http://www.razon.com.mx/spip.php?article22937|newspaper=La Razón|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319031928/http://www.razon.com.mx/spip.php?article22937|archive-date=2012-03-19}} (Allied with La Linea)File:Esparragoza-Moreno.jpeg was a Mexican drug lord. He was a former Mexican secret police (DFS) agent.]]
  • Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel
  • Caborca Cartel
  • Lesser-known small-criminal organizations:
  • Los Mexicles (U.S. street gang){{cite news|last=Cruz|first=Juan Manuel|title=Caen seis presuntos integrantes de Los Mexicles|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/777397.html|newspaper=El Universal|date=5 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709154337/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/777397.html|archive-date=9 July 2011}}
  • Los Texas (street gang) (disbanded){{cite news|last=Cobos González|first=Carmen|title=Desmantela Ejército banda de Los Texas|url=http://fox.presidencia.gob.mx/buenasnoticias/?contenido=5244&pagina=375|newspaper=PRESIDENCIA DE LA REPÚBLICA • MÉXICO|date=14 May 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930070733/http://fox.presidencia.gob.mx/buenasnoticias/?contenido=5244&pagina=375|archive-date=30 September 2011|access-date=1 August 2011}}
  • 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{{cite news|title=Caen tres por crimen de Policía Municipal|url=http://www.mundonarco.com/2011/04/caen-tres-por-crimen-de-policia.html|newspaper=Mundo Narco}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news|last=Pedraza|first=Iván|title=Investiga PGR a policías federales relacionados con el narco en Sonora|url=http://www.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/2be504ebb2fb2703724fc150cfa5949d|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906095147/http://www.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/2be504ebb2fb2703724fc150cfa5949d|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-09-06|newspaper=Milenio Televisión|date=2011-02-02}}{{cite news|title=Detienen en Colima a 36 policías estatales por vínculos con el narco|url=http://realidadbcs.com/2011/02/16/detienen-en-colima-a-36-policias-estatales-por-vinculos-con-el-narco/|newspaper=Periodico Realidad BCS|date=2011-02-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713213311/http://realidadbcs.com/2011/02/16/detienen-en-colima-a-36-policias-estatales-por-vinculos-con-el-narco/|archive-date=2012-07-13}}
  • Mexican Armed Forces (Army and Navy{{cite news|title=Ejército ha procesado a 142 soldados por nexos con el narco|url=http://www.animalpolitico.com/2011/06/ejercito-ha-procesado-a-142-soldados-por-nexos-con-el-narco/|newspaper=Animal Politico|date=June 9, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821134120/http://www.animalpolitico.com/2011/06/ejercito-ha-procesado-a-142-soldados-por-nexos-con-el-narco/|archive-date=August 21, 2011}}{{cite news|title=Sedena procesa a 13 militares por nexos con el narco|url=http://www.lapoliciaca.com/nota-roja/sedena-procesa-a-13-militares-por-nexos-con-el-narco/|newspaper=La Policiaca|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325154118/http://www.lapoliciaca.com/nota-roja/sedena-procesa-a-13-militares-por-nexos-con-el-narco/|archive-date=2012-03-25}}{{cite news|last=Otero|first=Silvia|title=En prisión, 40 militares por nexos con el narco|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/176411.html|newspaper=El Universal|date=2010-03-20|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012114013/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/176411.html|archive-date=2012-10-12}}{{cite news |title= Investigan a 20 militares por nexos con narco |url= http://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/389806.investigan-a-20-militares-por-nexos-con-narco.html |access-date= Oct 3, 2010 |newspaper= El Siglo de Torreón |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120322101235/http://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/389806.investigan-a-20-militares-por-nexos-con-narco.html |archive-date= 2012-03-22 }}{{cite news |title=Detienen a marino por nexos con narco |url=http://www.correo-gto.com.mx/notas.asp?id=163271 |newspaper=El Universal |date=28 May 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930023039/http://www.correo-gto.com.mx/notas.asp?id=163271 |archive-date=30 September 2011 }}{{cite news |last=Notimex |title=Detienen a marino por nexos con el narco |url=http://eleconomista.com.mx/seguridad-publica/2010/05/27/detienen-marino-nexos-narco |newspaper=El Economista |date=27 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004224305/http://eleconomista.com.mx/seguridad-publica/2010/05/27/detienen-marino-nexos-narco |archive-date=4 October 2011 }})
  • Mexico City International Airport{{cite news |last=Otero |first=Silvia |title=En la mira, la tropa aduanal del narco |url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/159805.html |newspaper=El Universal |date=2008-05-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012114019/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/159805.html |archive-date=2012-10-12 }}
  • Club Xoloitzcuintles (football){{cite news |last=Morales |first=Alberto |title=Le hallaron 88 armas a Jorge Hank Rhon |url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/770444.html |newspaper=El Universal |date=June 4, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811005034/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/770444.html |archive-date=August 11, 2011 }}{{cite news |title=Los 'Xolos' y Shakira, preocupación en Tijuana tras detención de Hank Rhon |url=http://mexico.cnn.com/deportes/2011/06/05/los-xolos-y-shakira-preocupacion-en-tijuana-tras-detencion-de-hank-rhon |newspaper=CNN México |date=5 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722061358/http://mexico.cnn.com/deportes/2011/06/05/los-xolos-y-shakira-preocupacion-en-tijuana-tras-detencion-de-hank-rhon |archive-date=22 July 2011 }}
  • United States officials:
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection{{cite news|title=EU arrestó a 127 agentes aduanales corrompidos por narco mexicanos |url=http://www.mundonarco.com/2011/06/eu-arresto-127-agentes-aduanales.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906022833/http://www.mundonarco.com/2011/06/eu-arresto-127-agentes-aduanales.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 6, 2012 |newspaper=Mundo Narco |date=June 9, 2011 }}{{cite news|title=Detienen a agente aduanal por narco |url=http://www.elmanana.com.mx/notas.asp?id=7274 |newspaper=El Mañana/El Universal |date=29 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323210533/http://www.elmanana.com.mx/notas.asp?id=7274 |archive-date=2012-03-23 }}

==United States==

File:Map of US Violent Crime.svg

The United States of America is the world's largest consumer of cocaine{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2086.html|title=The World Factbook|publisher=CIA|access-date=16 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229044611/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2086.html|archive-date=29 December 2010}} and other illegal drugs.{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-leads-the-world-in-illegal-drug-use/| title=U.S. Leads the World in Illegal Drug Use| work=CBS News| date=1 July 2008| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927151429/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-leads-the-world-in-illegal-drug-use/| archive-date=27 September 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna30946730|title=U.S. drug habit keeps Mexican war boiling|work=NBC News|access-date=16 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309180555/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30946730/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/us-drug-habits-help-finance-mexican-cartels/#.Uxx6Qvl5PIc|archive-date=9 March 2014|date=2009-05-26}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/special/math.html|title=Special Reports – Do The Math – Why The Illegal Business Is Thriving – Drug Wars – Frontline |publisher=PBS|access-date=16 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231003658/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/special/math.html|archive-date=31 December 2014}} This is a list of American criminal organizations involved in illegal drug traffic, drug trade and other related crimes in the United States:

===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===

===Defunct mafia families===

===[[Jewish-American organized crime|Jewish mafia]]===

===[[African-American organized crime]]===

===[[Irish Mob]]===

=Caribbean=

{{See also|Piracy in the Caribbean|Illegal drugs in Puerto Rico}}

  • Chadee gang (Trinidad and Tobago)
  • Jamaican Yardies & Posses
  • Shower Posse
  • POW Posse
  • Tottenham Mandem{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1978157.stm |title='Malign and corrosive' gangsters |work=BBC News |date=2002-05-17 |access-date=2012-02-19 |first=Chris |last=Summers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125044202/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1978157.stm |archive-date=2009-01-25 }}
  • Star Gang
  • Klans Massive{{cite web |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-924974-yardies-at-war-on-our-doorsteps.do |title=London Evening Standard – Yardies at war on our doorsteps |publisher=Thisislondon.co.uk |access-date=2012-02-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228161748/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-924974-yardies-at-war-on-our-doorsteps.do |archive-date=2011-12-28 }}
  • No Limit Soldiers (Curaçao)
  • Phantom death squad (Guyana)
  • Suri-kartel (Suriname)
  • Zoe Pound (Haitian, see also Tonton Macoute)
  • Dominican drug cartels{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs27/27506/dtos.htm |title=New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2008 – Drug Trafficking Organizations |publisher=Justice.gov |access-date=2012-02-19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120043836/http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs27/27506/dtos.htm |archive-date=2012-01-20 }}
  • Paulino organization{{cite web |url=http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=189130 |title=Supreme Court orders arrests of three |publisher=Diario Libre |access-date=2012-02-19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303203858/http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=189130 |archive-date=2012-03-03 }}
  • Féliz organization

=South America=

==Brazil==

==Bolivia==

==Colombia==

{{main|Illegal drug trade in Colombia}}

File:Gomez-Bustamante extradited from Colombia to the United States 2007.jpg, also known as "Rasguño", arrest performed by the National Police of Colombia]]

Colombia is the largest producer of cocaine in the world,{{Cite web|url=https://latinamericanpost.com/23424-colombia-is-still-the-worlds-biggest-producer-of-cocaine|title = Colombia is still the world's biggest producer of cocaine – LatinAmerican Post| date=20 September 2018 }} and cocaine production in Colombia reached an all-time high in 2017.{{cite news |title=Colombia cocaine production acreage at 'record level' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45578492 |work=BBC News |date=20 September 2018}}

Active Colombian drug cartels:

Historical Colombian drug cartels:

==Peru==

==Venezuela==

Historically Venezuela has been a path to the United States for illegal drugs originating in Colombia, through Central America and Mexico and Caribbean countries such as Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.

According to the United Nations, there has been an increase of cocaine trafficking through Venezuela since 2002.El Universal, 24 February 2008, [http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/02/24/pol_art_aumenta-narcotrafico_1279821.shtml Aumenta narcotráfico por Venezuela] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028034322/http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/02/24/pol_art_aumenta-narcotrafico_1279821.shtml |date=2016-10-28 }} In 2005, Venezuela severed ties with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), accusing its representatives of spying.{{cite news|last1=Neuman|first1=William|title=In Venezuela, Remote Areas Provide a Drug Trafficking Hub « Previous|newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/07/27/world/americas/20120727VENEZUELA.html|access-date=5 June 2015|agency=The New York Times|date=26 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307130733/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/07/27/world/americas/20120727VENEZUELA.html|archive-date=7 March 2016}} 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.{{cite news|last=al-Ameri|first=Alaa|title=Venezuela's Drug-Running Generals May Be Who Finally Ousts Maduro|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/venezuelas-drug-running-generals-may-be-who-finally-ousts-maduro/|access-date=26 May 2014|newspaper=Vice News|date=31 March 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006145946/https://news.vice.com/article/venezuelas-drug-running-generals-may-be-who-finally-ousts-maduro|archive-date=6 October 2014}} 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, [http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2010/AllSeizures.pdf World Drug Report 2010 Statistical Annex: Drug seizures] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827162949/http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2010/AllSeizures.pdf |date=2013-08-27 }} to sixth in the world in 2012.{{cite web|title=Drug seizures Report From Year: 2009 Until Year: 2012 Drug Group: Cocaine-type|url=https://data.unodc.org/sys/rpt?reportfile=seizures-list-blue-wide®ION=__ALL®ION__label=All&SUBREGION=__ALL&SUBREGION__label=All&COUNTRY=__ALL&COUNTRY__label=All&YEAR_FROM=2009&YEAR_FROM__label=2009&YEAR_TO=2012&YEAR_TO__label=2012&DRUG_GROUP=4&DRUG_GROUP__label=Cocaine-type&DRUG=__ALL&DRUG__label=All&UNIT=__ALL&UNIT__label=All&SOURCE=__ALL&SOURCE__label=All+%2821%29&format=pdf&fullscreen=true&showtoc=true#state:0|access-date=29 May 2015|agency=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The cartel groups involved include:

  • The Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan moved to Venezuela,Tom Blickman (1997), "[http://www.tni.org/archives/tblick/aruba.htm The Rothschilds of the Mafia on Aruba] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705215807/http://www.tni.org/archives/tblick/aruba.htm |date=2008-07-05 }}", 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 (Rome),Fonzi, Gaeton. "[http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0308/PG1194_feature1.pdf The Troublemaker] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909133805/http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0308/PG1194_feature1.pdf |date=2015-09-09 }}". The Pennsylvania Gazette (November 1994).Presumed Guilty, by Isabel Hilton, Gentlemen's Quarterly (GQ), July 1994 (UK edition) and in 1996 were sentenced to 13–20 years.

  • Norte del Valle Cartel : In 2008 the leader of the Colombian Norte del Valle Cartel, Wilber Varela, was found murdered in a hotel in Mérida in Venezuela.BBC, 1 February 2008, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7223452.stm Colombian drugs lord found dead] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207035114/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7223452.stm |date=2008-02-07 }}
  • The Cartel of the Suns According to Jackson Diehl. Deputy Editorial Page Editor of The Washington Post, the Bolivarian government of Venezuela shelters "one of the world's biggest drug cartels". There have also been allegations that former president Hugo Chávez and Diosdado Cabello being involved with drug trafficking.{{cite news|last1=Diehl|first1=Jackson|title=A drug cartel's power in Venezuela|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-drug-cartels-power-in-venezuela/2015/05/24/9bc0ff14-ffd6-11e4-8b6c-0dcce21e223d_story.html|access-date=29 May 2015|agency=The Washington Post|date=29 May 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529053142/http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-drug-cartels-power-in-venezuela/2015/05/24/9bc0ff14-ffd6-11e4-8b6c-0dcce21e223d_story.html|archive-date=29 May 2015}}

In May 2015, The Wall Street Journal 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.{{cite news|last1=DeCórdoba|first1=José|last2=Forero|first2=Juan|title=Venezuelan Officials Suspected of Turning Country into Global Cocaine Hub; U.S. probe targets No. 2 official Diosdado Cabello, several others, on suspicion of drug trafficking and money laundering|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelan-officials-suspected-of-turning-country-into-global-cocaine-hub-1431977784|access-date=19 May 2015|agency=The Wall Street Journal|publisher=Dow Jones & Company Inc|date=18 May 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520010806/http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelan-officials-suspected-of-turning-country-into-global-cocaine-hub-1431977784|archive-date=20 May 2015}} One United States Department of Justice 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 Diosdado Cabello, 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==

==El Salvador==

==Nicaragua==

Asia

=East Asia=

==Korea==

==Japan==

===[[yakuza|Japanese criminal organizations]]===

{{See also|Kenji Doihara#Criminal activities}}

The yakuza 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====

====Defunct yakuza groups====

==Chinese==

{{See also|Tiandihui|Kuomintang in Burma#CIA connection and opium trade}}

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). 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 和勝和
  • Wo On Lok (Shui Fong) 和安樂(水房)
  • Wo Hop To 和合圖(老和){{cite web |title=Chinese Criminal Enterprises |url=http://usinfo.state.gov/eap/Archive_Index/Chinese_Criminal_Enterprises.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109233824/http://usinfo.state.gov/eap/Archive_Index/Chinese_Criminal_Enterprises.html |archive-date=2008-01-09 |date=2008-01-09 |access-date=2012-02-19}}
  • Sun Yee On 新義安(老新)
  • Luen Group 聯字頭
  • Big Circle Gang 大圈
  • Sio Sam Ong (小三王)
  • Chinese-American gangs (See also Tongs)
  • Wah Ching 華青{{cite web|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/pr2002/013.html |date=2007-01-24 |access-date=2012-02-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124185611/http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/pr2002/013.html |archive-date=January 24, 2007 |title=USAO/CDCA Press Release }}
  • Ping On
  • Black Dragons 黑龍{{cite web |url=http://www.streetgangs.com/topics/2005/062105dragon.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911025235/http://www.streetgangs.com/topics/2005/062105dragon.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 11, 2012 |title=Court May Have Slain Black Dragon |publisher=Streetgangs.com |date=2005-06-21 |access-date=2012-02-19 }}
  • Jackson Street Boys 積臣街小子{{cite web|url=http://www.asianweek.com/2000_03_30/bay_21boysextortion.html |access-date=January 20, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127082314/http://www.asianweek.com/2000_03_30/bay_21boysextortion.html |archive-date=January 27, 2007 |title=AsianWeek: Bay News: 21 Boys Gangsters Sentenced for Extortion }}
  • Taiwan-based Triads
  • United Bamboo Gang 竹聯幫
  • Four Seas Gang 四海幫{{cite web |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/local/archives/2001/12/17/116136 |title='Mosquito brother' celebrates 90th birthday in style |publisher=Taipei Times |date=2012-02-12 |access-date=2012-02-19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208104350/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/local/archives/2001/12/17/116136 |archive-date=2012-02-08 }}
  • Celestial Alliance
  • Mainland Chinese crime groups (see also Hanlong Group)
  • Chongqing group 重慶組
  • Defunct
  • Honghuzi gangs
  • Green Gang 青帮
  • Triads in Cholon
  • Wu Bang

=Southeast Asia=

{{see also|Manchukuo#Drug trafficking}}

{{See also|Piracy in the Strait of Malacca}}

==[[Vietnamese Xã Hội Đen]]==

  • Bình XuyênOoi, Keat Gin (2004) Southeast Asia: a historical encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor, Volume 1 ABC-CLIO, {{ISBN|1-57607-770-5}}
  • Đại Cathay's mafia during the 60s
  • Năm Cam's mafia of the 90s
  • Khánh Trắng's "Đồng Xuân Labor Union", a crime syndicate under the guise of a legal entity
  • Dung Hà'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=

{{See also|Haqqani Network|Zomi Revolutionary Army}}

==India==

===[[Uttar Pradesh#Crime and accidents|Uttar Pradesh]]===

===[[Bangalore]]===

==Sri Lanka==

==Pakistan==

==Afghanistan==

=Central Asia=

=West Asia=

{{See also|Shabeeha|al-Qaeda in Iraq|Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant|Mokhtar Belmokhtar|Piracy in the Persian Gulf}}

{{cite web |last=Sherlock |first=Ruth |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/Syrian+rebels+kidnappings+raise+funds/7211632/story.html |title=Syrian rebels use kidnappings to raise funds |publisher=Vancouver Sun |date=2012-09-08 |access-date=2012-10-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912022544/http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Syrian+rebels+kidnappings+raise+funds/7211632/story.html |archive-date=2012-09-12 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14482968 |title=BBC News – Syria unrest: Who are the shabiha? |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2012-05-29 |access-date=2012-10-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906084132/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14482968 |archive-date=2012-09-06 }}

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, '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 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.

=North Caucasia=

See also Caucasus Emirate

=Georgia=

=Armenia=

=Azerbaijan=

  • Azeri mafia
  • Janiev organization{{cite web|url=http://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/ded-dead-the-assassination-of-russian-crime-boss-aslan-usoyan-ded-khasan/|title=Ded Dead: the assassination of Russian crime boss Aslan Usoyan ('Ded Khasan')|date=16 January 2013|website=wordpress.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218072918/http://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/ded-dead-the-assassination-of-russian-crime-boss-aslan-usoyan-ded-khasan/|archive-date=18 February 2013}}

Europe

=Sweden=

=Netherlands=

=France=

=Greece=

=Ireland=

=Spain=

=Poland=

=Slovakia=

=Hungary=

=Czech Republic=

=Italy=

=Balkans=

Balkan organized crime gained prominence in the chaos following the communist era, notably the transition to capitalism and the wars in former Yugoslavia.

=Great Britain=

{{See also|Irish Republican Army (disambiguation)|Ulster loyalism#Paramilitary and vigilante groups}}

=Ukraine=

=Lithuania=

  • Lithuanian mafia
  • Vilnius Brigade{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D04E0D81431F936A25752C1A962958260 |title=NY Times - Lithuanians Close A Nuclear Reactor After 3 Threats |work=The New York Times |date=1994-11-15 |access-date=2012-02-19}}

=Estonia=

=Transnistria=

Australia

{{See also|Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union|Nugan Hand Bank}}

  • Sydney
  • 5T gangSmall, Clive & Gilling, Tom (2010) Smack Express: How Organized Crime Got Hooked on Drugs, Allen & Unwin, {{ISBN|1-74237-208-2}} (1985–1999)
  • Freeman gang (defunct)
  • Lenny's gang (1960s)
  • Mr Sin's gang
  • Razor gangsWriter, Larry (2009) Razor: Tilly Devine, Kate Leigh and the Razor Gangs Pan Macmillan Australia Pty, {{ISBN|1-4050-3951-5}} (1920s)
  • Melbourne
  • Carlton Crew
  • Moran family
  • Williams family
  • Pettingill family
  • Richmond gang
  • Perth
  • Salvator cartel{{cite web|title=The Aussie gangster behind one of the world's biggest drug cartels,after eliminating his leader, he continued in the business and has built his empire.|publisher=Courier Mail|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/special-features/in-depth/the-aussie-gangsters-behind-one-of-the-worlds-biggest-drug-cartels/news-story/d5ca8405c99f0036a76e2d4253d88dee}}

References

{{reflist|30em}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yZhRLwEACAAJ | title=Blood, Death, Drugs and Sex in Old Mexico | publisher=Createspace Independent Pub | author=Aire, Jose Gutierrez | year=2012| isbn=978-1477592274}}
  • [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/ "Drug Wars"]. Frontline. 2006. PBS.
  • {{cite journal |last1=Holmes |first1=Jennifer S. |last2=Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres |first2=Sheila |last3=Curtin |first3=Kevin M. |title=Drugs, Violence, and Development in Colombia: A Department-Level Analysis |journal=Latin American Politics and Society |date=2006 |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=157–184 |id={{ProQuest|200275766}} |doi=10.1111/j.1548-2456.2006.tb00359.x |s2cid=198824953 }}

External links

{{Commons category|Drug cartels}}

  • [http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2549.cfm "Mexico: Drug Cartels a Growing Threat"]{{snd}}Worldpress, 2006

{{Gangs}}

Category:Illegal drug trade

Category:Organized crime groups

Category:Organized crime terminology

Category:Smuggling

Category:Transnational organized crime