African American gangs. Street gangs tear the US from within

Everyone knows the rampant crime in Russia. The situation is certainly not the same as in the dashing 90s, but all sorts of glaring incidents still have a place to be. In the West, and in particular in the United States, crime is one of the most large-scale, cruel and notorious.

In part, this has been facilitated by numerous films about criminals and gangs, the creation of a romantic image of a bandit, numerous African American and Latin American communities. In a word, gangs in the US are a separate layer of their history, and some deserve special mention.

1. Crips - Bloods

In fact, for the uninitiated, these are the two mega-largest confederations of gangs that have rivaled each other for a very long time. In the ranks of groups there are from 50 to 100 thousand people in all states.

It all began with the teenager R. Washington, who founded the Crips alliance and prescribed him a well-known code that included rules not to deal with drugs, not to touch women and children, not to testify against their own, and so on, according to the very similar code of Cosa Nostra.

Despite the total violation of all the rules, Cripses very quickly began to grow throughout the country and for the confrontation of their hegemony the Bladsy were created. Young black guys in all states began to tie red and blue bandanas on their heads as a sign of belonging to one side or another.

The confrontation of the Reds and the Blue became very famous, and was shown in a variety of films and comics and even dabbled in South Park.

2. MS-13

The laurels of America's toughest gang seem to only amuse themselves with the self-esteem of Salvadoran refugees who found shelter in Los Angeles. Consisting of former agents of special services, military and prisoners, the gang has a very branched and intricate network with an incredibly rigid and straightforward organization.

The FBI recently stated that this gang is the biggest headache for the moment for them, because MS-13 is becoming a virtually criminal corporation with many offices around the world, dealing with drug trafficking, gambling, prostitution and even kidnapping politicians.

The name of the gang stands for "Salvadorian wandering ants" and if in the US they are somehow restrained by local authorities, in El Salvador they kidnap people, shoot buses in the middle of a white day and kill players right on the football field.

3. Aryan Brotherhood (AB)

Severe prison gang helps all the rest to solve cases where, it would seem, everything under state control is in prison. The Aryan Brotherhood has now spread to virtually all US state and federal prisons, having agents in the security of prisons, prison staff and third-party service organizations.

By recruiting inveterate criminals, mostly lifelong prisoners and recidivists, who have nothing to lose, the Aryan Brotherhood can get any prisoner and get anything from him, or simply remove them for influential people.

With more than 15 thousand members in its ranks and having extensive funding from customers, this gang has become almost a monopolist in crime behind bars.

4. Bandidos

One of the oldest gangs of America - gang of bikers Bandidos was founded in the middle of the twentieth century in Texas. Traveling all over the country in leather jackets with a cartoon bear in a sombrero, as well as a machete and a pistol in their paws, Bandidos and the truth have great connections with Mexico, using it both as a refuge and as a supplier of cheap weapons and drugs, which they then resell USA.

Over time, the gang grew and expanded, and now they have more than 30 thousand members and the largest branches in Asia, Germany and Australia. Driving on their bikes and living almost community, bikers, more often than not, have no attachment to their relatives or material values, so it is very difficult for the police to somehow track them or act directly.

Confrontation and constant skirmishes on the highway, as well as robbery of trucks by motorcyclists have long become a visiting card of the criminal world of Texas.

5. Black Guerilla Family

The Black Partisans' family, fighting for the equality of African Americans in prison and at liberty, is also strictly ideologically oriented. Having chosen for such a basic Marxist-Leninist theory, this revolutionary gang is seeking not only equality for all blacks, but also for overthrowing the corrupt US government through revolution.

Black Partizan has a very strict code, in which there is an "oath of death" - that is, life is given as a pledge to the gang, and if circumstances so require, a member of the gang must die without hesitation. The influence of the gang in recent years has become more and more, because its leaders have managed to agree and enlist the support of virtually all influential African-American gangs, including the same Crips and Bloods.

It is interesting that every member of the gang must fill himself with a tattoo - a dragon wrapping around the prison tower, and holding the guard of this prison in the clutches.

They have a lot of blood on their hands.

In the world there are many illegal groups that control industry, control smuggling, sell drugs, kill and rob. The idealization and romanticization of the image of the bandit thrives on both sides of the ocean, but who are they, these guys? Where did they come from, and why is it still free? In our collection only the most famous OPG, repeatedly sung by prison folklore and Hollywood films, reports with reference to Chips.

16. Nazi Low Riders

Nazi rebels or NB is a prison gang of white racists operating in Southern California. They are closely associated with larger and more famous gangs, such as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Ku Klux Klan. Enmity with Nuestra Surname, Bloods, Crips, Norteños, Mara Salvatrucha and the Los Angeles Criminal Family. The Nazi name does not refer to anti-Semitism, rather to racism per se, and the term "rebels" is borrowed from Latin American gangs.
They were founded by the National Security Council in the 1970s, and by 1996 they only had 28 members. They have grown since then, and currently there are about 5,000 people in the gang, including those that are free and imprisoned. The NB often commit acts of racist violence in prisons to move upstairs in the prison hierarchy. Members of the National Bank can have tattoos depicting swastika and signs of SS. A tattoo with NLR letters is most often applied to the stomach, back or neck, and although it means Nazi Lowriders, its carrier can easily decipher a tattoo like No Longer Racist. Sometimes Nazi Low Riders is written in an old English font or rune. The group is active against blacks, Hispanics, other minorities and "traitors". There is a case of William Richie, who in prison stole the keys from the handcuffs and cut the face and neck of the black prisoner.
Members of the gang often hang around near high schools, fast food and bars, in an attempt to recruit new potential gang members. They earn money through various types of illegal activities, but above all, it is the trade and production of methamphetamine.

15. Mara Salvatrucha

The international criminal organization Mara Salvatrucha, was created by Salvadorans in the early 1980s in Los Angeles, to confront street gangs. On slang means "brigade of Salvadorian stray ants" and is often shortened to MS-13. They are based in Los Angeles, although there are other parts of North America and Mexico. According to various estimates, the number of this criminal syndicate is about 70,000 thousand people.
Mara Salvatrucha practices many types of criminal business, including trafficking in drugs, weapons and people, looting, racketeering, contract killings, kidnapping for ransom, car theft, money laundering and fraud.
A distinctive feature of the members of the group are tattoos throughout the body, including on the face and the inside of the lips. Tattoos are not only shown as belonging to a gang, but they also tell about criminal biography and status. Today it is one of the most influential bands in North and South America, Mara Salvatrucha works closely with Los Zetas.

14. Barrio Azteca

The Barrio Azteca gang appeared in El Paso Prison, in Texas in 1986. They quickly marched from a street gang to a well-armed paramilitary cartel that could seriously compete with Sinaloa's maple. Their main principles are ruthlessness, violence and terror, and the specialization of "business" is drugs, murders and kidnappings.
The prison gang of Barrio Azteca received the armed support of the Juarez cartel, in return the gang helps control the illegal drug traffic in Juarez. It is reported that the gang has about 5,000 members, including those who are in prison in Mexico, as well as more than 3,000 prisoners in the United States. These guys are known for prison riots. The official color of this gang is turquoise. In recent years, members of the gang call themselves "the Almighty Aztec Nation." There is no central leadership in this gang, but despite this, the gang operates in more than thirty countries.

13. The Angels of Hell

An organized criminal group from the United States began as the "Hells Angels Motorcycle Club" -one of the world's largest motor clubs, with its chapters (branches) around the world. According to the legend posted on the official website of the motor club, during the Second World War, the US Air Force had a 303rd squadron of heavy bombers called Hell's Angels. After the end of the war and the disbanding of the unit, the pilots were left without work. They had no choice but to go against their "brutal country, get on motorcycles, unite in motor clubs and rebel."
Probably, this is one of the most famous bands in this list. "Hell's Angels" have grown significantly since its inception in 1948. Many members of this OPG claim that they joined the club, exclusively for peaceful purposes - to help organize fund-raising, Bashkir parties and other social events. But along with legal activities (motorcycle sale shops, repair shops, sale of goods with symbols), the "Hell's Angels" are known for their illegal activities. Law enforcement agencies of some countries call the club a "gang of motorcyclists" and are accused of trafficking in drugs, racketeering, trafficking in stolen goods, violence, murders, etc.
Heavy crimes, drug and human trafficking, extortion and other unlawful acts have been associated with the gang throughout their long history. The head of the Australian chapters was even convicted of contract killing. But, again, this does not negate the fact that they also own many legitimate businesses, such as gyms and tattoo studios.
When police raided 30 pieces of real estate in Spain belonging to members of the gang, it was found weapons of military design and ammunition, kilograms of cocaine, neo-Nazi literature, bulletproof vests and $ 200,000 in cash. And according to a report from Sweden, 12 chapters of this organized crime group (which includes about 170 members) are responsible for 2,800 crimes in this country.

12. United Bamboo or the Bamboo Alliance

The Taiwanese group United Bamboo, also known as Zhu Lien Bang, is part of the structure of the Chinese triad. They specialize in drugs, weapons, kidnapping and illegal movement of people across the border. Unlike most other gangs, they were able to establish good relations with foreign major criminal organizations, which allows United Bamboo to successfully manage their affairs abroad.
The Bamboo Gang has about 100,000 members, which makes it one of the largest gangs on this list. While most gangs do not have clear leaders, Yao Yao Huang Shao-cen is the official boss / gang ruler since 2007. The gang was not afraid to stain his hands on politics, including political murders (for example, journalist Henry Liu in 1984, he opposed the Kuomintang ruling in Taiwan at the time). The murderers, both members of the Bamboo Union, were sent by the Taiwan Military Intelligence Bureau.
In 2013, the gang also attracted public attention when a Chinese killer Bai Xiao E was arrested and convicted of murder, kidnapping, extortion and conspiracy to commit murder. Bai was sent by the Bamboo Union to force a certain Lee Wen Jung to repay a $ 10,000 debt when he refused, Bai hit him with a knife 32 times. Prosecutors later concluded that Bai earned his living by contract killings for the Bamboo Union.

11. The Mungiki

This is one of the most aggressive sects in Kenya, which arose in 1985 in the settlements of the Kikuyu people in the central part of the country. Kikuyu gathered their own militia in order to protect the Masai lands from government militants who wanted to suppress the resistance of the defiant tribe. Sect, in fact, was a street gang. Later, large units were formed in Nairobi, which engaged in the racket of local transport companies carrying passengers around the city (taxi companies, car parks). Then they switched to collecting and disposing of garbage. Every slum dweller was also obliged to pay a certain amount of money to the sect's representatives in exchange for a quiet life in his own shack.

10. The Aryan Brotherhood

The Aryan Brotherhood appeared in the San Quentin prison of California in 1964, earning the reputation of the most dangerous gang of the USA. Members of the Aryan brotherhood are easily recognized by tattoos with Nazi and Satanic symbols. This is not an ordinary gang in the classical sense, it's rather a prison community, not dangerous for people at large. Members of this criminal organization kill just a huge number of people in prisons. Only 0.1% of the prisoners are in the Aryan Brotherhood, which accounts for about 20% of all murders in correctional institutions in the United States.
Initially, the gang was created in the 1960s to fight against the Black Guerrilla Family (Black Guerrilla Family) - gangs of blacks. Outside the prison, gang members do not lose time: extortion, drug trafficking and homicide.
In 1974, Charles Manson was denied membership, as among his other victims he killed a pregnant woman (Sharon Tate, wife of Roman Polanski). The loud trial of the leaders of AB in 2002, which was presented as a rout of the group, nevertheless ended with the fact that the leaders of the group Barry Mills and Tyler Bingham, accused of 32 murders, are still alive.
The "spin-off" gang, the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, was formed in the 1980s and includes about 30,000 members.

9. The nation of the almighty Vice Lord Nation (Almighty Vice Lord Nation)

Wow the name! The AVLN gang originated in Chicago in 1958, and they have about 35,000 members.
At the very beginning of AVLN (then known as Vice-Lords), robberies, thefts, robberies, intimidation, extortion and violent attacks were committed. Then they tried to change their image in society, and renamed the Conservative vice-lords.
While they were doing something socially useful (creating recreational areas for children, for example), of course, their criminal activities continued. Small gangs began to join them, and in the end, everything became more significant. For example, business owners, who did not pay for roofing, began to die in large numbers.
Willie Lloyd (pictured above), who at one point was the leader of AVLN, dropped drugs in 2001, after several arrests. Perhaps you will not be shocked that he was attacked three times, and in 2003 successfully - since then he is paralyzed from the neck to the bottom.
Traditionally, ALVN is in league with the Bloods (against Crips) gang.

8. Crips

The African-American band Crips appeared on the streets of Los Angeles in 1969, compared to the other thugs in our list, they look pretty cool and nice guys. However, their numbers, inept activity and excellent weapons make them one of the most dangerous gangs in the United States. Most Crips are involved in drugs, looting, extortion and murder.
The gang was founded by a 15-year-old teenager Raymond Washington and his friend Stanley "Tukey" Williams. Crips consists mainly of blacks. As of 2007, the membership of Crips is estimated at approximately 40,000 people. Known for opposition with the alliance Bloods, whose number is less than Crips. A distinctive sign of gang members is wearing bandanas and clothes of blue color, sometimes wearing canes. In order to join the gang, the man needs to commit a crime with witnesses, and the girl - to get in touch with the senior member of the gang.
In 1971, members of the gang attacked elderly Japanese women, who then described criminals as cripple, since all participants in the attack were with canes. This incident was written by local newspapers, and a new name for the gang - Crips. In 1979, Washington was shot at the age of 26. The second creator of the gang Stanley "Tukey" Williams was arrested for killing four people and sentenced to death. Being imprisoned for about 25 years, Williams was engaged in literary activity, in his works he urged adolescents not to participate in criminal groups. Williams nine times nominated for the Nobel Prize (five for the world and four for his literary works), was awarded a prize by the President of the United States, a film about his life was filmed in Hollywood. Despite a few public protests, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to grant a petition for his pardon, and on December 13, 2005, Williams was executed.
Currently, the Crips gang is considered one of the largest in the US. The gang at different times included rappers Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, MC Ren and others.

7. The Bloods

The identification color of the gang is red. The Alliance of Blood Bodies (Blood Alliance) is a union of African American street groups in South Central (Compton, Inglewood), as well as the suburbs of Los Angeles, which was created to oppose the Cripps gang. Existing since 1972, this union was formed as a result of a meeting of leaders of gangs who were dissatisfied with attacks from Crips. All the dissatisfied gathered in a single "Family" members of the gang Piru Street Boys - Sylvester Scott and Benson Owens. More acts of violence occurred between gangs, and Pirus was able to persuade others to unite and create Bloods.
Individual groupings of a confederation of 3 or more members are called sets or trays. Despite the fact that the coalition includes only African-American gangs, individual sets consist of Latinos, Asians and whites. White can also be found in the main part of the gang.
While the Crips surpassed them 3: 1, the Bloods also became known for their extreme brutality; and by 1978 there were already 15 sets.
The opposition of the Reds and the Blue became very famous, and was shown in a variety of films and comic books. The plot of the South Park series called "Crazy Cripples" (Season 2 Season 7) is based on the conflict of the Crips and Bloods gangs.

9. Latin Kings

"Latin Kings" is considered one of the most numerous in the world of gangs, consisting of Hispanics. The grouping was born in the mid-sixties in New York, Chicago and Detroit.
In the United States, "kings" were, as a rule, young people from poor families who came from Puerto Rico and Mexico. The group has its own "Constitution" and "flag", which depicts the flags of these two states and the symbols of the gang.
In recent years, "Latin Kings" has been joined by more and more immigrants from other Latin American countries, and the gang members themselves have called themselves "the Almighty Nation of Latin Kings" or simply "the Nation." Traditional colors - yellow and black, as well as a wreath of five arrows and a crown are already familiar to millions of people in different countries.
The activities of "Latin Kings" are devoted to books and films. Despite the lack of central leadership, the gang operates in 34 countries of the world, and the total number of its members reaches 100 thousand people. Only in the USA there are 25 thousand "kings".

5. Sinaloa Cartel / The Sinaloa Cartel

The Sinaloa cartel is the largest drug cartel in the world, whose head Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as El Chapo (El Chapo), was declared the number one enemy of society. Moreover, at the same time he is considered one of the most influential people on the plan according to the Forbes magazine, having appeared between the editor-in-chief of The New York Times, Jill Abramson and the speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Beyner.
Although Loera is now in jail, his cartel continues to successfully manage its affairs, dealing with drug trafficking, as well as not disdaining killings, abductions, extortion and pimping.
The Sinaloa cartel has been operating since 1989, it has 500,000 members, and they own large lands and real estate in Mexico and around the world, including 11 countries in Latin America (eg Brazil, Argentina, Colombia), as well as countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Spain, the Philippines and West Africa.
When they kill (and, believe me, they often kill), they like to post videos on the Internet as a warning to competing gangs. There are rumors that for permission to bring drugs to the United States for a huge amount, the Sinaloa cartel merged with law enforcement agencies information about competitors.
Recently Jorge Martin Torres, one of the main money launderers for the cartel, was sentenced to 44 months in prison. Torres is allegedly responsible for helping to buy aircraft for El Chapo, he also received $ 300,000 in income from drugs, and also bought another plane for $ 890,000. In addition, Torres acquired Maserati, Mercedes, BMW, Lamborghini and other exotic cars for El Chapo and his brother Alfredo.

4. Los Setas

The origins of the creation of Los Zetas in the 90s were former Mexican special forces fighters, who were originally the mercenary army of Cartel Golfo. In the early 2000s, they formed a separate criminal grouping, and in a very short time it became the most equipped and dangerous gang in Mexico. Their specialization is kidnapping, extortion, murder and drug trafficking. In August 2011, the gang burned a casino in Mexico, where 52 people died from the fire.
The gang has more than 3,000 members in 22 Mexican states, as well as in Guatemala and the United States.
Los Setas is not just being killed, they often post their videos on the Internet. In 2011, the Mexican authorities recorded 193 cases when people were brutally tortured and killed by the Los Setas gang. Women were sexually assaulted, while men were tortured.
In 2011, they staged a massacre in Ellendale, Coahuila, where more than 300 civilians were killed. Also, the gang is implicated in the prison riots in 2012: 44 members of the 44 Gulf cartel, a rival gang, were killed and 37 members of the Seth fled the prison.

3. The triad of 14K

14K (十四 K) is one of the most numerous and influential triads of Hong Kong. According to one version, the name comes from the 14 members who stood at the origins of the organization; on the other, from the headquarters address in Canton; on the third - from 14-karat gold. The Triad was established in 1945 in Guangzhou as an anti-communist organization. After the civil war and the flight of the Kuomintang's from China, the headquarters was moved from Guangzhou to Hong Kong in 1949, and the union included many military and civilians who had nothing to do with secret societies. Therefore, the name of the union had to be changed to "Association 14" (later reduced to "14K").
In March 1975, in Amsterdam, three killers shot the leader of the Dutch branch "14K" Chun Mon, nicknamed "Unicorn." Chun Mon became the first Chinese criminal boss in Europe and controlled large supply routes for heroin.
In the 1990s, 14K was considered the largest triad in the world. Fleeing from the police pressure, "14K" went beyond Hong Kong and acquired strong positions in southeast China, America and Europe, while still more in shadow. In 2008, members of the "14K" were implicated in the kidnapping of the Chinese family in order to obtain a ransom in New Zealand.
As of 2010, "14K" consisted of more than 20 thousand members, united in thirty subgroups. The triad is most active in Hong Kong, Macau, China (Guangdong and Fujian), Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, the USA (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago), Canada (Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary), Australia (Sydney) New Zealand, Great Britain (London) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam). In comparison with other triads, "14K" is considered one of the most brutal criminal gangs of Hong Kong.
"14K" controls wholesale channels of heroin and opium supplies from Southeast Asia to China, North America and Europe. Also, the triad is engaged in gambling, usury, money laundering, arms trading and counterfeiting, pimping, human trafficking (illegal immigration), racketeering, looting, arson, contract killings, kidnapping for ransom and fraud.

2. Solntsevskaya bratva (Solntesvkaya Bratva)

When it comes to criminal syndicates-families from Russia, Solntesvkaya BRATVA is the most influential. Founded back in the 1970s, at the moment there are not so many of them, about 5,000 members, but they certainly declare their presence around the world.
They have unpronounceable names, and while you finish the sentence, you may already be dead. They are capable of any crime that can only be imagined. But they make the most of their profits by selling heroin and trafficking people. It is also known that they are cooperating with Colombian drug cartels in the transportation of cocaine. Their incomes can also be connected with playing in the stock market, as well as fraud with credit cards.
The links between Semen Mogilevich and the mafia are established. Mogilevich is known to the FBI as the most dangerous bandit around the world, involved in contract killings, extortion, arms trade, and also involved in illicit drug trafficking at the international level.
In 2014, Solntsevo OPG was recognized as the gang with the highest incomes in the world - according to Forbes, their income is $ 8.5 billion.

There are up to 500 bandits ... American cities swept the wave of street crime.

Volunteers of the North American office of the Stringers Bureau of International Investigations - FBII - had enough to leave their homes to find themselves in the thick of squabbles between gangs.

Street fighting

The 15-year-old was killed during a shootout in Oregon. Two were injured, the third was shot in the face in the Bronx. Five wounded in a shootout in Colorado Springs. Five received a bullet during the disassembly in St. Joseph, Montana. Six people were wounded in a shootout in Yakima, Washington, one died. Thirteen people were injured during the shootout in Chicago, including a 3-year-old child and two teenagers.

All this is daily reports of the American police, passing under a strange gang-related label, which in literal translation means "connected with gangs." So politically correct American cops bashfully call gang warfare, which in recent years became the main scourge of large cities in the United States.

Although it's too late to be ashamed, it's time to beat all bells - in 2005 the FBI recognized street gangs, along with terrorism, as the main threat to US national security. Still, only according to the official data of the feds in the country there are more than 33 thousand gangs, and the total number of their members exceeds 1.4 million people!

And do not be deceived, the FBI did not include in this list all the American prisoners (there are even more in the US - 2.2 million people), we mean only active members of gangs, mostly young men. In other words, American gangs have the same number of people as they serve in the entire US Army!

The gangs account for 48% of the violent crimes committed in the country, and in some regions this figure does not reach 90%. "The worst situation is in the outskirts," says Joshua Washington, who for seven years was a member of the AVLN gang and recently released on parole. - In a strange area of ​​municipal high-rise buildings in general, it is better not to pop. In the suburbs it is different - the community richer hires private security, then the gang does not go there. "

Mostly affected cities in the north-east of the country, in California and in the Great Lakes region are the most densely populated states of the United States and the consequences of the economic crisis are most visible here.

"The sharp rise in street crime has become one of those consequences," says Michael Snyder, journalist and author of The Beginning of the End. - According to the same Federal Bureau of Investigation in spring 2009, the number of gangs was estimated at 1 million people, that is, in the post-crisis years it increased by 40%! Where people can not legally earn money, people are forced to commit crimes for survival. "

And an unexpected consequence of the sharp growth of criminal groups was a significant expansion of their activities. In addition to traditional racketeering and street trade in drugs and weapons, gangs have taken on new criminal niches for themselves - the transportation of illegal migrants, trafficking in human beings, the cover-up of prostitution.

But what frightens even more, the gang has begun to master high-tech, so-called "white-collar" crimes: counterfeiting, credit fraud and theft of personal data.

Special signs

Retrogrades from the FBI habitually divide gangs into street, prison and motorized. At the same time, the division into street and prison is very conditional - the difference is only in which side of the prison fence the gang originally was organized (in the vast majority of cases gangs operate on both sides of it).

A motorized gang or OMG - this is repeatedly sung by Hollywood hairy bikers from the "Angels of Hell", "Gentiles" and other "Bandidos". Until the early 90's, they really played a significant role in the criminal world, but as early as the 1980s, Latin Americans began actively to squeeze them, who today settled unconditionally on the criminal Olympus of the United States.

The largest grouping of the West Coast, the 18th Street Gang or M18, appeared in Los Angeles in the 1960s, and today has 65,000 active members in 120 cities and 37 states. Distinctive features of gang members are tattoos or stripes on clothes with different variants of writing numbers 18 - XVIII, 9 + 9, 666, etc.

The gang "Latin Kings" (Latin Kings) was formed by Puerto Ricans in Chicago even earlier - in the 40s. Today, 42,000 of its members are operating in 160 cities and 31 states.

At the same time, the gang is considered to be the most disciplined and organized, and its ideology is based on "kingism", which members of the group call their religion. Distinctive signs - tattoos with a three- or five-toothed crown.

The largest and brutal Latin American gang "Mara Salvatrucha" (Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13) in the 80s was founded by immigrants from El Salvador who poured into the USA. For the sake of intimidation, its members cover the entire body and even the face with tattoos, and their trademark sign is murder with the help of a machete. In total, the gang has about 70,000 participants, not only in the US, but also in Latin American countries.

Classwork

And without that, considerable figures become even more terrible, given that most of the gang members are men of 18-25 years of age. And to recruit recruits gangster recruits begin even among schoolchildren. According to the report "Combating Youth Violence", prepared for the US Congress, schools are ranked fourth among the "recruiting centers" of criminal groups. Every fifth American student gets an offer to join a gang.

"It's enough to offer the colored guy to deliver the parcel to the right address and promise $ 100 for it," Joshua Washington shared his experience. - The next day he comes to get money. And when you get a hundred hands on, it's almost impossible to refuse another offer. You get used to free money quickly. "

This gang and use. The most common age of newly converted members of the groupings is 10-12 years. And the cases when recruiters of gangs "carry out work" among first-graders (in the USA go to school from 5-6 years) have become frequent.

"The gangs are worse than terrorists," psychologist Mary Joe Rapini is indignant. "They use children's naivety and low self-esteem." Children consider themselves small, defenseless, do not know how to do anything, and joining a gang gives them a sense of their own importance, care and security. "

However, in the activation of gangs in schools, experts also see, first of all, macroeconomic reasons. If in 2000 more than half of American teenagers had jobs and, accordingly, could earn pocket money, then in 2011 this figure decreased to 29.6%. In addition, in many states, educational optimization was carried out - due to funding cuts, part of schools in the cities were closed, and students were transferred to neighboring institutions. Gangs could only take advantage of the natural opposition of new and old-timers.

What did the FBI answer to this? Prepared a brochure for teachers, which makes it possible to recognize the symbols of gangs in drawings, with which students decorate their notebooks and backpacks.

No money - no policemen

About the police and say nothing - to an adequate response to the rampant crime it just does not have enough money. "If the number of gangs in Chicago over the past two years increased from 500 to 600, then for the same time, police funding decreased by $ 67 million, which led to a reduction in personnel by 1,300 people," sighed Michael Snyder.

- And this despite the fact that in a 3 million city in gangs, according to various sources, there are from 70,000 to 100,000 people, and in the anti-criminal group there are only 200 policemen. That is, one cop makes up 500 gangsters. Not surprisingly, Chicago is among the world's leaders in terms of the number of murders and even ahead of Mexico and São Paulo. "

Although in the neighboring Detroit the situation is even worse. Money is a bankrupt "capital of the automobile industry" is so lacking that in January of this year, the mayor decided to completely eliminate the unit to combat organized crime.

If 10 years ago there were 5,000 policemen in the city, now there are only half of them left. Due to budget cuts, most sites are closed 16 hours a day, less than 10% of crimes are investigated.

The result is appropriate - last year the number of murders in the city grew by 13%, and the unemployment rate exceeded 18%. Is it any wonder that Detroit ranks second in the country in terms of the number of violent crimes and steadily holds the lead in the Forbes list of the most unfortunate US cities?

The situation is not better in the richest state of the country - California. Local leader in the number of violent crimes - Oakland - because of budget cuts fired a quarter of policemen, which led last year to an increase in theft by 43%. Neighboring cities sell police equipment and helicopters, and in Los Angeles, there is not enough money to keep prisoners. As a result, criminals will be released from prisons, serving 40% of the term. And under the program fall, including, rapists and murderers.

Disassembly or war?

A holy place is never empty, the streets liberated from police take control of criminal groups. And they do their "work" often better than the state. "For residents of ethnic areas, control by the gangs is even preferable," says Mary Joe Rapini.

- Members of gangs speak with them in one language, act according to the usual "laws", give a sense of security, and, if necessary, provide work. The problem is that teenagers who grew up in this situation see themselves as only one way for social growth - joining a gang. "

However, in the gang, as in any hierarchical system, "advances" are needed to move up the "career ladder". And they are committed more often on the territory controlled by a competing group. Hence the ceaseless shootings, thousands of wounded and hundreds of dead.

"This is most similar to the clan war," argues Iraqi and Afghan sergeant Matt Little, a Chicago-based anti-organized crime unit. - The boys run around the streets and fired in all directions. Those who are over 30 in the streets are no longer visible - they either run or are in prison. The level of cruelty here is such that until this age only a few survive. "

Nevertheless, in gangs the level of professionalism is growing. Only in the past two years the FBI has registered 53 cases of mass sending of gangs to the army by gangs. There they study the tactics of combat, modern types of weapons and equipment. What will begin in the streets, when professionally trained killers will rush in there, it's terrible even to imagine.

Although, it seems that Washington has already thought of this development of events. Even in the National Security Strategy adopted in 2006 in the event of large-scale catastrophes, a partial transfer of functions of local authorities to the military was allowed.

Two years later it became clear that the US authorities are preparing not only for natural disasters - in the Strategy for the Modernization of the Armed Forces, the list of threats to national security was enriched by organizations with a radical anti-government ideology.

In 2010, the Pentagon conducted exercises, which worked out the actions of the armed forces to suppress civil unrest in the event of an economic collapse. And since May 13, 2013, after amending Federal Normative Act 32, the US military has received official authority "under extraordinary circumstances to temporarily assume the responsibility to suppress large-scale disturbances."

List of the most powerful and powerful mafia in the world.

10. The Jamaican-British Mafia (Yardies gang)

In the tenth place came from Jamaica in Britain, who moved to England in the 50's. This ethnic group controls a good share of operations in the arms and narcotics trade. This mafia does not attempt to infiltrate government structures, so it is not as strong as the rest. The British police are hesitant to classify Yardie gangs as organized crime because they do not have a real structure or central leadership

9. The Albanian Mafia

Albania consists of numerous criminal groups. Their rules remain unchanged from the 15th century ... The Albanian mafia participates in the trade of white slaves, alcohol and tobacco, controls prostitution, car thefts and racketeering. Its "activity" began in the 80s of the last century. Widely represented in the US and Britain. A distinctive feature is the cruelty used in the actions of revenge.

8. The Serbian Mafia

The Serbian mafia has found its place in the ranks of leaders, since it works in dozens of countries around the world and is connected with drug smuggling, contract killings, racketeering, robberies, betting controls and gambling houses. Interpol lists about 350 Serbian citizens, who are often employees and leaders of the largest drug cartels in the world. Serbian bandits are known for intellectual robberies, which often play Hollywood scenarios, as well as quick and clean executions. Currently there are about 30-40 groups working in Serbia

7. The Israeli Mafia

These guys are working in the field of banditry in many countries, the main activity - drug trafficking and prostitution. Times have changed, and if they were once looked upon with reverence because of their ability to cover, today they are ruthless killers who do not think long before pulling the trigger. The Russian-Israeli mafia has become so entrenched in the political system of the United States that it is so good that even a vaunted American army can not beat them out.

6. The Mexican Mafia

The Mexican mafia is a powerful criminal structure in the US, rooted in the prison world. Originated in the 50's, it was positioned as the protection of Mexicans in US prisons, from other criminals and the protection of prisons. The main activities are extortion and drug trafficking. Prone to a quick reprisal over the unwanted and not paying them the tax they set.

5. Japanese yakuza

The Japanese mafia proudly derives its origin from the impoverished samurai nobility, or ronin, as they called it in Japan. The heirs of many children of noble fathers, who sometimes had nothing but a sword, inherited only the right to wear a sword and even comb their hair in a Samurai manner: shave their forehead and crown, wipe their long hair from the nape of the neck with a tight braid and stick them on the bluish scalp. Although the Japanese mafia is known to the whole world, it is difficult to discern at once in the daily life of the local cities. Meanwhile, the Japanese mafia has one hundred and ten thousand people, while the noisy and violent American one is only twenty thousand. If we consider that the US population is about twice as large as the Japanese, it is easy to calculate that there are eleven times more for each Japanese than for an American, professional rapists, robbers and murderers. Areas of activity: racket, distribution of banned pornography from Europe and America, prostitution and illegal emigration.

4. Chinese triads

The fact that rapidly growing China is rapidly becoming the leader of global development, is spoken today throughout the world. But there are also negative sides to this process. As China's leading position in the global economy strengthens, Chinese organized crime will rapidly expand its presence in transnational criminal relations. "Triads" have already arranged a "third world" for their competitors! "Straddling" migration processes, the mafia structures of China and the Chinese mafia in other countries have taken the lead in organizing trafficking in people and establishing flows of illegal migration. The Europol report (June 2006) noted that Chinese mafia groups are called the leaders in human trafficking in the countries of the European Union. Chinese "triads" pressed in Japan the homegrown mafia - yakuzu: the Chinese account for about half of all crimes committed by foreigners.

3. Colombian drug cartels

The Colombian mafia is one of the world's largest suppliers of cocaine. All the efforts of the state authorities are still in vain, since the business of the bandits is more than successful. The Colombian drug mafia has existed since the mid-1960s. Cartels Medellin and Kali very quickly turned into the leading producers of cocaine in the world.

2. Sicilian and American Cosa Nostra

Members of the Sicilian Mafia (from left to right), Salvatore Lo Bue, Salvatore Lo Cicero, Gaetano Lo Presti, Giuseppe Scaduto, Antonino Spera, Gregorio Agrigento, Luigi Caravello, Mariano Troia, Giovanni Adelfio and Francesco Bonomo. Sicily was constantly plundered not only by Algerian pirates, but also by units of French mercenaries who served the North Italian dukes and princes. The organized armed struggle of the islanders against the French began in 1282 under the slogan "Morete alla Francia, Italia anela" ("Die, France - sigh, Italy"); of the first letters of appeal Sicilians made a battle cry: «Mafia!». Soon the self-defense units turned into units of professional fighters, who began to pay tribute from the peasants for protection from external enemies. In the XIX century. Mafia, which became a single system, even tried to get the island separated from Italy and offered the union of Giuseppe Garibaldi, but the troops of the Principality of Piedmont defeated her. At the end of XIX century. thousands of Sicilians, fleeing from poverty and clan wars, moved to America. In large cities of the United States, Cosa Nostra (Our Business) emerged - a network of Sicilian "families" that controlled casinos, smuggling, prostitution, illegal circulation of alcohol, tobacco and weapons, as well as those engaged in racketeering. All the "consortia" of Sicily constitute a "venerable community", headed by Capo di tutti Capi, head of all chapters. The important players in the mafia structure are also picciotti di ficatu (assassins), stopalieri (guards), gabellotti (judges) and consiglieri (advisors).

1. The Russian Mafia

The Russian mafia numbers 500,000 people. Her godfathers control 70% of the Russian economy, as well as prostitution in Macao and China, illegal drug trafficking in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, money laundering in Cyprus, Israel, Belgium and England, car theft, nuclear material trafficking and prostitution in Germany. With the disappearance of the Iron Curtain, the expansion of Russian crime ceased to be controlled and directed, as it was before the collapse of the USSR. The first wave of "export" of crime from the territory, then the USSR, took place in the early 1970s, when Soviet Jews were allowed to travel to Israel. This wave was not comparable to the second - when the "Iron Curtain" collapsed with the collapse of the USSR. Then the world really appreciated the size of Russian crime, which the "Russian mafia" called. Russian criminal communities sometimes expressed very specific interests in different countries of the world. So, in December 1993, the Western press first mentioned that groups are "shaking" Russian hockey players playing in foreign clubs, so-called "legionaries". The mass of materials on this topic in the press in the following years spoke of the fact that the "sports racket" has acquired a truly industrial scale. According to some information, now the Russian criminal community operates in 50 countries around the world. According to the American professor Louise Shelley, the RRP has taken out 150 billion dollars from the Russian Federation since 1991. According to other sources - 50 billion dollars, but also a lot.

Modern large criminal gangs are the most real states in the state, with tens of thousands of members, their own army and tossing billions of dollars a year. Their main field of activity, drugs, extortion, murder, blackmail and girls of easy virtue. According to the annual income, some of them can make a worthy competition to the largest companies in the world. Meet the ten most dangerous criminal gangs of the world.

10. Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) / The first metropolitan team

The notorious Brazilian band Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) from Sao Paulo was founded in 1993 by members of the prison football team who survived a bloody prison riot. Today, a gang of 14,000 people, of whom 6,000 are in prison, controls local prisons and favelas, earning money on, killing, extortion, trafficking and drug trafficking. In 2006, the PCC excelled, having attacked several banks, prisons, public buildings, robbed several dozen buses in four days and managed to paralyze the city movement, killing 150 people.

9. Mungiki / The Mungiki

Mungiki is a kind of mixture of a criminal organization with a religious cult. From the language of the people, the Bantu "mungiki" is translated as "multitude", which, as it were, hints at simply a huge number of gang members who at different times numbered from one hundred thousand to one million people. This gang, which specializes in abductions, murders, extortions, controlling entire settlements and public transport, was imposed by the Kenyan government in 2002. In 2013, a whole city was burned by members of the mungiki, refusing to pay the required amount.

8. Sinaloa Cartel / The Sinaloa Cartel

The Sinaloa cartel is the largest drug cartel in the world, whose head Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as "El Chapo", was declared the number one enemy of society. Moreover, he is considered one of the most influential people on the plan according to the Forbes magazine version, having appeared between the editor-in-chief of The New York Times, Jill Abramson and the speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Beyner. Although Loera is currently in prison, the Sinaloa cartel continues to successfully manage its affairs, focusing on drugs, murders, kidnappings, extortions and girls of easy virtue. According to some information for the permission to carry out drugs for several million dollars in the US, the Sinaloa cartel has fouled law enforcement agencies a lot of information about competing organizations.

7. Aryan Brotherhood / Aryan Brotherhood

The Aryan brotherhood is not just an ordinary gang in the classical sense, it's rather a kind of prison community, not particularly dangerous to ordinary people at large. Members of this criminal organization kill just a huge number of people in prisons. Only 0.1% of the prisoners are in the Aryan Brotherhood, which accounts for about 20% of all murders in correctional institutions in the United States. The Aryan Brotherhood appeared in the San Quentin prison of California in 1964, earning the reputation of the most dangerous gang of the USA. Their main activity is the arms trade, drugs, extortion and murder. Members of the Aryan brotherhood are easily recognized by tattoos with Nazi and Satanic symbols.

6. Crips

The African-American band Crips appeared on the streets of Los Angeles in 1969, compared to other representatives from our rating, look pretty calm and sweet guys, not breaking dozens of skulls in people. However, their numbers, inept activity and excellent weapons make them one of the most dangerous gangs in the United States. Most Crips are involved in drugs, looting, extortion and murder.

5. United Bamboo (Zhu Lien Bang)

The Taiwanese group United Bamboo, also known as Zhu Lien Bang, is part of the infamous Chinese triad. They specialize in drugs, weapons, kidnapping and illegal movement of people across the border. Unlike most other gangs, they were able to establish good relations with foreign major criminal organizations, which allows United Bamboo to successfully manage their affairs abroad.

The Barrio Azteca gang appeared in El Paso prison, Texas in 1986, quickly passed the road from a street gang to a well-armed paramilitary cartel that was able to compete seriously with Sinaloa's maple. Their main principles of work are ruthlessness, violence and terror, but specialize in drugs, murders and kidnappings.

3. Yamaguchi-gumi / Yamaguchi-gumi

Yamaguchi-gumi is the largest gang in the famous Japanese mafia yakuza, known for its rigid hierarchy and looking very respectable. They have their offices, websites, many wear business suits and have business cards. Over a hundred years of history Yamaguchi-gumi managed to excel on the grounds of extortion, intimidation, fraud, murder and political corruption. To date, this criminal organization has about 40,000 people.

2. Mara Salvatrucha / Maara Salvatrucha

The international criminal organization Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, was created by Salvadorans in the early 1980s in Los Angeles, to confront street gangs. Today, it is one of the most influential gangs in North and South America, which deals with drugs, arms trafficking, extortion, girls of easy virtue and murder, and do not be afraid to kill even federal agents. Mara Salvatrucha works closely with Los Zetas, for which the latter train fighters under the special forces program. To date, the gang has 70,000 people, of which about 10,000 live in the US.

1. Los Zetas / Los Setas

The origins of the Los Zetas in the 90s were former Mexican special forces fighters, who initially became the mercenary army of Cartel Golfo. At the beginning of the two thousandth, they form a separate criminal grouping, which in a very short time became the most equipped and dangerous gang in Mexico. Their specialization is kidnapping, extortion, murder and drug trafficking. In August 2011, a casino was burned in Mexico, where 52 people died from the fire.