A gang is to organised crime what a family is to society – its a unit of cohesion. They are hierarchical organisations where members have to prove their worth, both regarding the loyalty they display to the group and how far they’re willing to go to defend its interests.

These groups are often involved in several illegal activities at the same time. They often engage in everyday murder, production and distribution of drugs, extortion of local businesses for “protection”, corruption of politicians, as well as illegal gambling operations and human trafficking to support their prostitution schemes. They’ve also been known to use legitimate businesses to launder the money they bring in from their illegal enterprises.

Some gangs are lucky enough to have complete dominance over their territory while others have to fight with rival groups for the right to conduct their business in a given area. Young kids with nothing to hope for in life yearn to be feared and respected, but mostly they want to belong somewhere. When rival gangs clash, these kids kill each other for prestige and glory.

The total body count is uncertain, but some organisations’ reputations are as bloody as they are terrifying. Let’s have a look at 15 of the deadliest gangs still active today.

15. Aryan Brotherhood

Members of the Aryan Brotherhood are easy to identify. As you may have guessed by now, these guys are covered in swastika tattoos and make no effort to hide just how proud they are to be white. These symbols help them identify fellow white supremacists in prison. These marks also help their enemies stay clear of them and with good reason as a recent rise in jail deaths has been linked to the Aryan Brotherhood.

The group has evolved into a crime organisation underpinned by its efforts in drug trafficking and prostitution. Known allies of the Mexican Mafia, they occasionally clash with bitter rivals such as Nuestra Familia, the Bloods and the Crips.

14. Primeiro Comando da Capital

Much like the Mexican Mafia in Los Angeles, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) started off as a prison group. To be more specific, their first association was as a football team in the São Paulo prison system. With over 6,000 paying members and 140,000 inmates, the PCC controls the city’s favelas and jails.

They have deals in the international drug trade with the Colombian FARC and Rio’s Red Commando, but they still manage to wreak havoc at home in Brazil. Their high level of organization allowed them to terrorize São Paulo in 2006 when they killed over 150 people in a series of coordinated attacks in the city’s banks, public buildings, buses and prisons.

13. Mexican Mafia

This gang is the original Mexican prison gang, and it operates from California’s federal prisons. The Mexican Mafia established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the 1950s and 1960s by uniting rival gang members from the outside. Their game is mostly about extortion and drug trafficking. The group may have originated in jail, but its operations extend far beyond the walls of whichever federal correctional facility contains their members.

Their members are known for their loyalty to the group, perhaps due to the fact that death is the penalty for abandoning the Mexican Mafia. The organisation has shown its resourcefulness by initially allying itself with the Italian Los Angeles Crime family. These days their closest friends are the Black Guerrilla family and the Aryan Brotherhood. It’s safe to say they probably don’t all sit at the same table.

12. Hell’s Angels

This group of Harley Davidson lovers can sometimes fool some into believing their appreciation of motorcycles, jackets/patches with the “Winged Death Heads” logo and brotherly camaraderie is all there is to their organisation. Predominantly based in the United States and Canada, Hell’s Angels are present in 27 other countries such as Australia, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Recognized by law enforcement as the most dangerous motorcycle gang, their members often indulge in the manufacture and production of drugs, prostitution, robbery, and extortion. They are also known to be heavily involved with the nightlife industry and are arguably the most famous criminal organisation in North America.

11. Mongols

Initially created by those who had been rejected by Hell’s Angels due to their race, the Mongols have proceeded to emulate the “success” of their more famous rivals. Their dealings in drug trafficking, prostitution and extortion have attracted thousands of members and the attention of the authorities, most notably the FBI.

Their rivalry with Hell’s Angels is a well-documented one. In 2002, the rival gangs clashed in Nevada, with two Hell’s Angels and one member of the Mongols dying in the confrontation. Originally from Southern California, the Mongols are now present in surrounding American states as well as Australia, Mexico and some parts of Europe.

10. Bloods

The Bloods hail from Los Angeles but they have members in virtually every state. Their rivalry with the Crips is perhaps the most famous gang rivalry in recent American history. It started in 1980s Los Angeles as a territorial dispute in the crack-cocaine business, and it hasn’t stopped since.

The Bloods wear red and recruit young African-American men from the LA’s low-income areas and have recently lost some of their reputation due to internal conflicts. Although they’re still one of the most dangerous gangs in North America, their best days are behind them. Even the Crips no longer see them as a threat.

9. Crips

Founded in 1969 in Los Angeles, the Crips have amassed around 30,000 members now spread across Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma in addition to their original hometown. Having emerged as the victor in the fight against the Bloods, the Crips have also enjoyed the marketing and recruitment benefits of having rappers like Snoop Dogg associated with their group.

Although they recruit predominantly young African-American males, they also have some white, Hispanic and Asian members. They used to be known for wearing mostly blue clothes, but have stopped since the authorities have caught onto it. Some of their favourite hobbies include drug trafficking, extortion, murder, burglary, robbery, racketeering, illegal gambling and theft.

8. Latin Kings

The Latin Kings originated in Chicago but now operate all over the United States. Authorities believe the imprisoned Gino Gustavo Colon, who is currently serving time for crimes related to cocaine trafficking, is their leader. The gang is known for its highly rigid hierarchy, with several tribes operating throughout the country.

Their structured chain of command has earned them the reputation of being the most organised Latin gang. Their members have to agree with the group’s “constitution”, also known as the Manifest before they’re allowed to join the Latin King’s profitable drug trafficking enterprise.

7. MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha)

The Mara Salvatrucha (or MS-13) originate from El Salvador, from which they escaped to Southern California following the country’s bloody civil war in the 1980s. They have built a reputation for unrelenting violence in perpetrating all sorts of crime, from drug trafficking, carjacking and robbery to murder, prostitution, rape and home invasions.

The FBI has an entire task force dedicated to this group, and they believe the group’s heavily-tattooed members operate without any central leadership. They are one of the most violent gangs in Central and North America, which explains why they are often hired to provide muscle for Mexican cartels.

6. The Yakuza

The internationally recognised Yakuza is one of the world’s most famous gangs. They have a minimalist approach to violence and murder, employing both strategically to advance their interests when other methods fail. With over 40,000 members, they are perhaps best known for their missing fingers and iconic tattoos. The missing fingers are self-inflicted acts of penance, designed to display regret to others.

They have close ties with high-level politicians and businesspeople, and members of the Yakuza are extremely wealthy and are not afraid to show it. Accompanying their terrifying reputation, they are also known for their humanitarian efforts which, when combined with their sparing of civilians, give them the freedom to operate in Japan.

5. Sinaloa Cartel

Led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Sinaloa Cartel used to be the most powerful gang in Mexico. These days Los Zetas and other smaller groups threaten their superiority, but they remain a force to be reckoned with, as they seek to own the monopoly of the drug trade in Mexico.

“El Chapo” is considered by the DEA to be the godfather of the drug world while Forbes named him the most powerful drug lord in the world on their world’s most influential people lists since 2009. The Sinaloa Cartel’s current battle for control of drug trafficking routes with Los Zetas is one of the bloodiest gang conflicts this world has ever seen.

4. SoIntsevskaya Bratva

The SoIntsevskaya Brotherhood is to Russian organised crime what the Camorra is to the Italian Mafia. Experts indicate this group controls over hundreds of legitimate businesses in Russia and exerts its influence beyond Russia and in the United States, with operations in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Miami. Even in this facet of society, they use violence and murder to advance their agenda.

Led by Sergei “Mikhas” Mikhailov, who views himself as more of a businessman than a leader of gangsters, the SoIntsevskaya Bratva is known to engage in the usual activities of prostitution, extortion, blackmail, bribery, human trafficking, gun-running, money laundering and even cyber hacking and online scams.

3. The Mungiki

This Kenyan group hails from Mathare, the second largest slum in Nairobi, and some estimates point to the Mungiki having over 100,000 members, all from the Kikuyu ethnicity. The Mungiki are known for beheading their opposition and the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation.

Much like other unimportant African groups, they initially sought to cleanse their country of other ethnicities via the law of the machete, having moved into other territories since. They are now heavily involved in politics, using large recruitment drives and violence to build their political movement. Fortunately, their sphere of influence does not extend past Kenya.

2. Camorra

Much like the MS-13, experts in organised crime believe the Camorra operates without any central leadership. This gang is the most influential and violent faction of the famous Italian Mafia. Their members are known to use bribery and violence to threaten local politicians and law enforcement. If they fail to comply, the choice of fire or death will usually convince them.

Mafia experts believe that, in addition to being involved in every criminal activity imaginable, the Camorra is also intensely intertwined with several legitimate businesses, possibly with the aim of laundering money from their illegal operations. Their most famous move is to extort local businesses, demanding money for protection usually from themselves.

1. Los Zetas

Although it’s difficult to determine precisely how many people have died as a result of the fight between Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel, estimates point to over 50,000 corpses. Initially founded as the armed muscle of the Gulf Cartel, this group of former Mexican Elite Special Forces has gone into business on their own.

As they aim to be the sole drug cartel in Mexico, they have become famous around the globe for their mass torture and killing of anyone who stands in their way – rival gangsters, informants, police, politicians, journalists, and innocent people. They are considered by many to be the world’s bloodiest gang.

Source: therichest.com