Drug cartel

Drug cartels are criminal organizations 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 the largest trafficking organizations reached an agreement to coordinate the production and distribution of cocaine. Since that agreement was broken up drug cartels are no longer actually cartels in the proper sense of the word, but the term stuck and is now popularly used to refer to any criminal narcotics related organization, including Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some cartels are even establishing themselves in U.S..

Below is basic structure of the drug cartels; in this case, the ones in Mexico:

• Falcons (Halcones): Considered the “eyes and ears” of the streets, the 'falcons' are the lowest rank position in any drug cartel. They are responsible for supervising and reporting on the activities of the military and of their rival groups.^[1]

• Hitmen (Sicarios): They are the armed group within the drug cartel; they are responsible for carrying out assassinations, kidnappings, thefts, extortions, operating protection rackets, and defending their 'plaza' from the rival groups and the military.^[2][3]

• Lieutenants (Lugartenientes): The second highest position in the drug cartel organization; they are responsible for supervising the sicarios and halcones within their own territory. They are allowed to carry low-profile executions without permission from their bosses.^[4]

• Drug lords (Capos): This is the highest position in any drug cartel; they are responsible for supervising the entire drug industry, appointing territorial leaders, making alliances, and planning high-profile executions.^[5]

It's 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 financers 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.

Contents 1 Colombia 2 Mexico 3 United States 4 Italy 5 Russia 6 Afghanistan 7 Other parts of the world 8 References

Colombia

Colombian Cartels is a generic term that usually refers to three, usually rival, criminal organizations involved in Illegal drug trade in Colombia:

• Cali Cartel
• Medellín Cartel
• Norte del Valle Cartel
• Los Rastrojos

It sometimes also refers to other, lesser-known criminal organizations:

• Bogota Cartel^[11]
• Caqueta Cartel^[12]
• Llano Cartel^[13]
• North Coast Cartel

Other organizations in Colombia involved in drug trafficking include:

• AUC
• Black Eagles
• ELN
• FARC
• Los Rastrojos
• ERPAC^[14]
• Oficina de Envigado^[15]
• Los Paisas^[16]
• Los Urabeños^[17]

Mexico

Mexican cartels (also known in Mexico as: La Mafia, Mañosos,^[18] Narcotraficantes, or simply as Narcos ') is a generic term that usually refers to several, usually rival, criminal organizations involved in the Mexican Drug War:^[19]

• Beltrán-Leyva Cartel
• La Familia Cartel
• Gulf Cartel
• Juárez Cartel
  • La Línea
• Los Negros
• Los Zetas
• Sinaloa Cartel
  • Gente Nueva^[20]
• South Pacific Cartel
• Tijuana Cartel
• Los Caballeros Templarios
  • La Resistencia^[21]

Several other are lesser-known criminal organizations:

• Colima Cartel
• Guadalajara Cartel
• Milenio Cartel
• Oaxaca Cartel
• Sonora Cartel
• Barrio Azteca^[22][23]
• Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación^[24]
  • Grupo Mata Zetas^[25][26]
• Cártel Independiente de Acapulco^[27]
• La Nueva Administración^[28]
• Cártel del Centro^[29]
• Cártel de La Calle^[30]
• Cártel de la Sierra^[31]
• La Mano Con Ojos (gang)^[32]
• Artistas Asesinos (gang)^[33]
• Los Mexicles (gang)^[34]
• Los Chachos (gang)^[35][36]
• La Barredora (gang)^[37]
  • El Comando Del Diablo (gang)^[38]
• La Oficina (gang)^[39]
• Los Texas (gang)^[40]

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:

• Municipal police forces in Mexico^[41]
• Federal police forces in Mexico^[42]
• State police forces in Mexico^[43]
• Mexican Army^{[44][45][46][47]}
• Mexican Navy^[48][49]
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection^[50][51]
• Mexico City International Airport^[52]
• Club Tijuana (football)^[53][54]

United States

• Texas Syndicate^[55]
• La Mafia Mexicana^[56]
• Mara Salvatrucha^[57]
• Nuestra Familia
• Logan Heights Gang^[58]
• 18th Street gang
• Sureños 13
• Norteños 14
• Mexikanemi
• American Mafia

Italy

• Ndrangheta
• Cosa Nostra
• Camorra Mafia
• La Stidda
• Sacra Corona Unita
• Mala del Brenta
• Basilischi Mafia^[59]
• Nuova Famiglia Salentina^[60]
• Rosa dei Venti^[61]
• Remo Lecce Libera^[62]
• Società foggiana^[63]
• Clan dei Casamonica^[64]

Russia

• Russian Mafia
• Chechen mafia
• Tambov Gang
• Thief in law
• Solntsevskaya Bratva

Afghanistan

• Afridi Network
  • Afghan drug traffickers ^[65][66]
    • Noorzai Organization^[67]
    • Khan cartel

Other parts of the world

• United Wa State Army
• Dojin-kai
• Kyushu Seido-kai
• Bosnian mafia
• Bulgarian mafia
• Albanian mafia
• Corsican mafia
• Estonian mafia
• Irish mob
• Macedonian Mafia
• Montenegrin Mafia
• Serbian mafia
• Slovak mafia
• Triad
• Yakuza

References

• PBS. 2006. Frontline: Drug Wars.
• Worldpress.org. 2006. "Mexico: Drug Cartels a Growing Threat." Worldpress.org.