Top 20 Biggest Crime Organizations in the World
#20: The Dixie Mob
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The Dixie Mob started small by being nomadic and committing small crimes across the Southern United States. Eventually, they started setting up branches of their criminal enterprise in small towns that fell under the radar. The Dixie Mob turned the small footholds they established into opportunities to get inside of the local law enforcement agencies that would try to oppose them. This organization attracted so much attention that the FBI launched a full investigation to stop them from growing any further. While The Dixie Mob splintered after their leaders were arrested, authorities still believe traces of the organization still survived.
#19: Georgian Mafia
The term “Georgian Mafia” refers to organized crime activities that are centralized within the country of Georgia, located in the Caucasus Region of Europe. This mafia is separated into two clans from the cities of Tbilisi and Kutaisi. One need not be a Georgian national to fraternize with their mafia either. Members have been said to include citizens from Armenia, Yemen and even the United States. The Georgian Mafia has been involved with crimes including, but not limited to, human trafficking, money laundering, extortion and murder. Their long history of crime led them to becoming one of the most powerful black market groups in Russia.
#18: Israeli Organized Crime
Consisting of nearly twenty crime families and also known as The Israeli Mafia, this group is widely spread throughout its namesake country. But the organization also has ties outside of the country. The Israeli mafia infamously got away with a record breaking jewelry heist in New York. Additionally, they’ve been tied to narcotics rings in California and violent crimes in Mexico City. Back in Israel, there were concerns the organization had become entrenched within politics. This worry was increased in 2010 when a Wikileaks report alleged that someone possessing familial ties to Israeli Organized Crime had been elected to the country’s highest legislative body. Given their size, having the group get entangled with politics could cause major issues.
#17: Albanian Mafia
The Albanian Mafia has eyes and ears everywhere. This is because this loosely connected structure of criminal organizations is spread across the entire globe. They’re present in territories as varied as Canada, China, and The Balkan Region. Australian authorities once claimed that the group was “in almost every level of society”. Meanwhile, the Albanian mafia reportedly had a large influence over at least four different illegal trades in Greece in the early 2010s. The organization’s wide reach and deep network has made it into a subject of several media properties like “Law & Order” and “Taken”. But the large Albanian mafia is considerably more intimidating in reality than it is in fiction.
#16: Camorra
The Camorra is one of Italy’s oldest and most infamous crime groups. Instead of having a strict hierarchy, this organization is made up of many clans that each have their own agendas. As a result, they could end up fighting against their own members while committing crimes. Despite the air of conflict, the Camorra remains powerful, influential and violent. A 2021 report indicated that one of their clans dominated the market for a certain drug in Peru. The organization also had deep roots in Barcelona. Within Campania, Italy, the Camorra notoriously caused a waste issue that resulted in high profits for them and full landfills in 1990. Their massive negative impact on the local environment was still being felt decades later.
#15: The Five Families
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Between 1930-31, a conflict known as the Castellammarese War saw two factions of New York’s mafia clash in a bid for power. When the dust settled, a mobster known as Salvatore Maranzano took charge and split the organization into what became known as The Five Families. This tactic allowed the group to spread their influence over every borough in New York City. However, their members have also conducted business in Quebec, Florida, New Jersey and more. The hierarchy has been dramatized in films like “The Godfather” and “The Valachi Papers”. Although The size and scope of the Five Families has been publicly reduced in recent years, the organization is still present. The multiple lines of succession make it unlikely they’ll disappear anytime soon.
#14: Serbian Mafia
At one point in the early 2000s, the Serbian Mafia was allegedly richer than the government of their country. Their sizable capital was gained by smuggling tons of contraband into various countries throughout Europe. Since their organization reportedly consists of thousands of members, the Serbian Mafia had plenty of people keeping it afloat. Although mainly notorious for importing literal tons of illegal substances, the group has been tied to major thefts as well. They’ve also often been associated with the infamous Pink Panthers international jewel thief network, a group that has stolen over 200 million pounds worth of jewelry. The Serbian Mafia’s wide range of illegal markets and deep connections have made them the target of several international agencies.
#13: N'drangheta
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Primarily operating in Southern Italy, specifically the Calabria region, this organization grew enough during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that they were known globally by the 1950s. Over time, they gained a ton of operating capital due to their involvement in narcotics trafficking and extortion. Members of the organization were even directly linked to the infamous taking of John Paul Getty III. After gaining a significant reputation and allying with South American partners, the N’drangheta were able to greatly expand their reach. Some records suggest they have over 10,000 members globally. With branches everywhere from Canada to Australia, this organization has definitely entrenched itself across the globe.
#12: The Aryan Brotherhood
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The Aryan Brotherhood has roots as a criminal organization that grew within the penal system. Over the years, they incited a number of race riots within jails that resulted in the deaths of inmates and guards. It didn’t take long for their influence to stretch far beyond bars. The organization has been labeled as “a national crime syndicate” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Since they reportedly have upwards of 20,000 members in and out of prison, they definitely have the numbers to back that label up. The Aryan Brotherhood has been tied to numerous violent crimes, trafficking, extortion and more. Their long history of crime led them to take the title of America’s biggest prison gang.
#11: Latin Kings
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Although The Latin Kings began in Chicago, they’ve since expanded into areas like Ecuador, Italy and Canada. While the organization was originally meant to keep people safe, dark circumstances turned the group into a vicious force. It’s been estimated that the Chicago chapter alone once rose to somewhere north of 30,000 active members. When combined with other factions, the group’s numbers climbed even higher. The Latin Kings have been involved with everything from drug distribution to homicide. All the while, the group operates on a code that keeps new members loyal and focused on advancing within the organization.
#10: Crips & Bloods
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The Crips, sometimes called the Original Crip Homies (OCH), were founded in the late-1960s as a unified group of disillusioned African-American youths facing urban hardship in Los Angeles. The Crips eventually became one of the leading gangs in America, with a reputed 35,000 active members over 800 sets, or factions, nationwide, as of 2008. Shortly after their founding, the (OBF) Original Blood Family, or the Bloods, formed as a countermeasure to the Crips, leading to a decades-long feud between the two groups. Recognized by various differing hand signals and opposing color schemes, the Crips and the Bloods have gained a reputation for violence, urban gang warfare, narcotics trading, and maintain a menacing presence in their respective neighborhoods to this day.
#9: Irish Mob
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Spanning back to the late 1800s, the Irish Mob initially began as a series of street gangs focused on protectionand bootlegging in North American port cities like Manhattan, Boston, and Montreal. The North Side Gang of Chicago was particularly prominent during the Prohibition era, especially as a rival to the Chicago Outfit in the South, led by Johnny Torrio and Al Capone. Eventually transcending the street violence and entering politics and police departments, the Irish Mob managed to enter into society’s highest circles, giving certain affiliated mobsters near celebrity status. Certain notorious groups gained international notoriety, such as James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger’sWinter Hill Gang in Boston, and Montreal’s West End Gang, the latter of which has existed since the early 1900s. Meanwhile, the Irish Mob in Ireland came into existence much later, only starting to be active in the 1960s.
#8: D-Company
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If one was to look into criminal activity in India, they will most likely come across D-Company, a violent and massive syndicate that deals in extortion, large-scale fraud, and terrorist activity. Amid various notorious members, D-Company’s kingpin, Dawood Ibrahim, has been labeled as India’s Al Capone and has been evading international authorities since his violent rise to the top of India’s criminal underworld in the 1970s. D-Company has various business ties, such as reported links to the Bollywood film industry, as well as affiliations with known terrorist groups, most notably Al-Qaeda, in which they allegedly ran guns for Osama Bin-Laden. Ibrahim is, as of 2011, number three on The World's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
#7: Hells Angels
Formed during the post-WWII boom of returning American veterans, the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has garnered quite a reputation. The group’s constant denial of criminal activity and association with various mob outfits worldwide have given the Hells Angels a near-mythical image, which is an anti-hero persona they gladly play into. However, police organizations have listed the Hells Angels as one of the “big four” motorcycle gangs, and members have been busted for extortion, violent crime, drug dealing, prostitution and more. While members insist they are just Harley-Davidson enthusiasts, the numbers add up to a different story, with the Quebec Biker turf war in Montreal that saw the deaths of at least 150 and the jailing of over 100 bikers between 1994 and 2002. In 2019, the Netherlands became the first country to ban the club.
#6: Triad
Dating back to the 18th century, the Triad was originally part of a series of clandestine societies in China that survived through British occupation and eventually driven even further underground by the Chinese Communist Party in the 20th century. Focused on such illegal activities such as drug dealing, counterfeiting, and prostitution, Triad members enforce strict codes of conduct and organizational pride. Like many criminal organizations, Triad initiates must go through ritualistic inauguration processes and oaths of secrecy. With reputed connections to outside countries, the mainland Chinese criminal organization remains one of the most feared, and secretive, crime syndicates in the world, with Triad branches in multiple countries.
#5: Russian Mafia
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One of the most well-organized criminal organizations in the world, the Russian Mafia has a long legacy originating from the imperial period of the 1720s, but its violent and intimidating reputation was cemented during the Soviet era with forced labor camp leaders. Many factions of the Russian Mafia have successfully dabbled in politics, business, narcotics, and the Black Market around the globe. Initially dubbed “thieves-in-law” (vory v zakone), operatives in the Russian Mob are known for their recognizable but cryptic tattoos and imposing methods of business. Chief among Russian Mafia chapters is the Solntsevskaya Bratva, an extremely wealthy and successful organization that’s been associated with murder and economic scandals.
#4: Cali Cartel
The cocaine boom in the late 1970s led to the creation of one of the wealthiest drug cartels in history: The Cali Cartel. Initially a splinter faction of Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel (xref), the Cali Cartel operated mostly out of Colombia, but with a long international reach. Not solely based around a central figurehead, the Cali Cartel’s more independent structure led to its capitalizing on the drug market, operating in almost every circle of society, and going as high as politics and the military. And while it is not in operation anymore with the last of its major heads arrested in the mid-’90s, the Cali Cartel was a multi-billion-dollar operation and left an indelible mark on the drug trade.
#3: Mexican Cartels
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Imposing in stature, and highly protective of their own, the Mexican Cartels have made a name for themselves with what’s been described as their violent bordering on barbaric tactics and militant structure. While highly successful in their operations, various cartels have found themselves embroiled in turf wars in their home country, leading to aggressive conflicts resulting in cartel and civilian casualties. By reportedly intimidating journalists who dig too deep into their affairs, and rigging elections, the Cartels have entrenched themselves in their local areas, and earned the rep as a ruthless force to be reckoned with.
#2: Yakuza
Dating back to the Edo Period, and with one of the strictest honor-codes of any criminal gang, the Yakuza are one of the oldest crime syndicates. Although listed as “” by the Japanese police and press, the Yakuza consider themselves above the law and a “chivalrous organization.” With power divided between four main clans, the reach of the Yakuza is huge, embedding their severe nationalist ideas into communities. However, they are often quick to assist in disaster relief, such as in the 1995 Kobe Earthquake and 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, offering relief and distributing aid reportedly faster than the government. But they are no dark knights; they are said to deal in human trafficking, and have shady links to banking and government.
#1: Sicilian Mafia
Immortalized on film and in the media, the Sicilian Mafia is one of the most infamous criminal groups in history. Beginning in Sicily in the early 19th century and eventually extending to and capitalizing on the opportunities in early 20th century America, as well as other parts of the world, the Sicilian Mafia, known internally as Cosa Nostra, has been linked to numerous criminal rackets, spanning from money laundering, gangland violence, protection rackets, and even rumoured ties to high-profile assassinations. With the likes of Vito Cascioferro and Luciano Leggio among the mythologized mobsters responsible for the idea of the “gentleman” mafia boss or gangster, the Sicilian Mafia is truly ‘la stessa cosa,’ and inseparable from its image.
