If you want to know which gangs are the most dangerous gangs in America, you are at the right place because we will tell you more about 15 most dangerous gangs in America in 2018.
Originally, word gang did not have a negative context. Its roots are connected to journey or verb “to go”, and it was usually used to refer to a group of “things or people which go together”. Nowadays the word “gang” is closely associated with criminal activity. If you look up world top gangster lists, you will probably come across very familiar names like Pablo Escobar, El Chapo, Al Capone and many others, who are often also on the lists of richest underworld dons in the world. They built their empires on illegal activities (mostly), and if you look for information for richest gangsters alive today, the most common name you will come across is that of Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, nicknamed “El Chapo” for his short stature (5’6”). He’s still alive and kicking and no wonder that he is one of the top 10 gangsters in the world in 2017. Speaking of gangsters, he managed to escape twice from the prison, the first time in 2001. The second attempt was in 2015 when he escaped from a maximum security prison. However, he was captured and put back in prison. If you want to know more about notorious and biggest and worst gangsters in the world today, make sure to check our list of 26 most feared biggest gangsters in the world and find out who was the most powerful gangster in the world as well as the most feared gangster ever.
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Gangsters are present everywhere in the world, but we are most familiar with those from the USA and Latin America (and a couple of European countries). Usually, top 10 mafias in the world are, in fact, located in these areas. However, there are a lot of notorious gangsters in other countries as well. For example, top 10 gangsters in India are (almost) as notorious as western ones but are rarely mentioned. They are involved in drug and human trafficking, etc., but some of them were involved in Bollywood film industry, being filmmakers themselves or focusing on money extortion from celebrities. When it comes to gangs in the USA, the public knows a lot thanks to the various movies and TV shows that cover these themes. Some of them are also part of our list of 11 biggest gangs in America which is based on the gangs in America statistics.
Gang membership and hierarchy varies from gang to gang but generally speaking, there are two main types of gangs: prison gangs and street gangs. Street gangs are a significant threat to a country, and they migrate from urban to suburban and rural communities expanding their influence and recruiting new members. The threat is amplified when street gangs reach regional and/or national level. Prison gangs also pose a serious threat since they often maintain a very strong influence over street gangs as well. They operate within state and federal prison systems as well as in communities outside the prison, most commonly through their former prison mates/fellow gang members. Usually, they control drug distribution from prisons. The third type of gangs are outlaw motorcycle gangs. Anyhow, in most cases once you join the gang, it will be very hard to leave it no matter what the reason is. There are exceptions, of course, and that’s why we’ve compiled a list of 8 easiest gangs to join and get out of. as well.
In order to compile this list of 15 most dangerous gangs in America in 2018, we’ve consulted Federal Bureau of Investigation report from 2011 and 2015 about national gang activity in America. We’ve also checked out United States Department of Justice website and their report on growing gang activity as well as Neighbor Watch website. While choosing the gangs which would comprise this list, we focused mostly on prison and street gangs. In addition to the above-mentioned sources, we used additional research in order to rank them from least dangerous to most dangerous gangs and also to update the list with the latest information, since sources we used are from a past few years. Top of the list is reserved for well-known, violent gangs which will not cease to exist anytime soon. Number one spot is reserved for the gang which current administration and President Trump consider as the biggest threat. Let’s take a look.
15. Asian Boyz
Asian Boyz is one of the largest Asian American street gangs in the US. Members are mostly of Southeast Asian descent. They are involved in production and distribution of methamphetamine and marijuana. In 2011, founder of Asian Boyz, Marvin Mercado, got a life sentence without parole. Conviction of Mercado and some other senior members of the gang seriously diminished gang’s power.
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14. Fresno Bulldogs
Fresno Bulldogs is a street gang located in Fresno, California. They are one of the biggest drug gangs in California, and the largest sets are located in Fresno with some smaller sets in minor cities around Fresno. Gang’s symbol is a bulldog mascot which also symbols Fresno’s football club. Due to the gang violence, the university even considered dropping their football mascot.
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13. Black Guerilla Family
Black Guerilla Family ranks 13th on our list of most dangerous gangs in America in 2018. It was founded in the 1960s at Saint Quentin State prison. Crips are strongly aligned with Black Guerilla Family which stands tall against other race-based gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood or the Mexican Mafia. Just like most of the other gangs, the main source of income is a distribution of drugs.
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12. Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos
Roughly translated, the name of the gang means Brotherhood of Latin Gunmen. It was founded in the 1980s in Texas. They are most active in prisons and on the streets of Texas but are also present in several cities in Mexico. It’s a structured gang whose main source of income is trafficking cocaine and other drugs from Mexico to the U.S.
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11. Latin Kings
Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, often referred to as simply as Latin Kings, is the oldest Hispanic gang in the US. Founded in the 1950s, this gang’s primary goal was to preserve Hispanic culture in the US but later in it grew into a criminal organization. Members of Latin Kings usually wear gold and black clothes.
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And now, let’s see the top 10 most dangerous gangs in America in 2018, shall we?
10. Trinitarios
Trinitarios are the largest Dominican-American street and prison gang on the East Coast of United States. Name of the gang represents three Dominican revolutionaries who established the independent Dominican Republic in 1844: Juan Pablo Duarte, Francisco del Rosario Sanchez, and Matias Ramon Mella. These three founded a secret society called La Trinitaria (The Trinity). Gang Trinitarios was founded within the New York prison system, and eventually, it became one of the fastest growing street gangs, especially in New York and New Jersey.
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9. The Barrio Azteca
The Barrio Azteca or Los Aztecas is another violent gang in America which deservingly has its place on our list of 15 most dangerous gangs in America in 2018. Originally based and founded in prisons of El Paso, this gang soon became a transnational criminal organization. They formed strong cooperation with Juarez cartel and are involved in drug distribution and alien smuggling on both sides of the border.
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8. Aryan Brotherhood
Most of the gangs we mentioned so far on our list of 15 most dangerous gangs in America in 2018 were gangs with Hispanic or African American members. Aryan Brotherhood is the complete opposite. Aryan Brotherhood is probably among the most famous prison gangs in the U.S., and it is often portrayed in various movies and TV shows. It is highly structured gang with two factions: one in the California Department of Corrections (CDC) and the other one in Federal Bureau of Prisons system. As the name itself implies, it is a white supremacist neo-Nazi gang, comprised mostly of white Caucasian males. It started as a small gang derived from and inspired by Blue Bird gang but kept growing at a rapid pace with estimates of 20,000 members in prisons and on the streets. Many inmates decide to join Aryan Brotherhood to gain protection (besides ideological beliefs) and the process of “initiation” usually involves violent acts like attacking a guard or killing inmates.
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7. The Mexican Mafia
The Mexican Mafia (often referred to as La Eme) originated as a prison gang in the U.S. but soon spread its “empire” from the penitentiary to the streets of Los Angeles. They use fear and violence to intimidate people and silence anyone who defies them. The main source of income is extortion of drug dealers and distribution of drug inside and outside of prisons.
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6. Florencia 13
We are continuing our list of most dangerous gangs in America in 2018 with Florencia 13 which works closely with the Mexican Mafia and it a big rival of the 18th Street Gang. Members of Florencia 13 are mostly Hispanic-Americans. They are involved in drug smuggling, assaults, robberies, and murders and are concentrated mostly in Los Angeles area.
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5. Texas Syndicate (TS)
Texas Syndicate ranks 5th on our list of most dangerous gangs in America in 2018. It is a gang that is active on both sides of US-American border. This gang is highly structured, and gang members are mostly Mexican American males. They smuggle large quantities of various drugs from Mexico to the US for distribution. Texas Syndicate maintains a good relationship with members of Osiel Cardenas-Guillen DTO gang and sometimes with Los Zetas.
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4. 18th Street Gang/ Barrio 18
18th Street Gang is active in 50 cities in 28 states. The main sort of income is a distribution of drugs, especially cocaine and marijuana. It is also one of the largest transnational gangs in the US with 20,000-50,000 members. The 18th Street Gang is placed very high on our list of 15 most dangerous gangs in America in 2018 primarily because its main rival is MS-13, which President Trump vowed to deal with. Violence between these two bitter rivals reached its peak in 2012 when 14 murders per day in El Salvador were happening due to this rivalry.
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3. The Crips
Crips or OCH (Original Crip Homies) are founded in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest and most violent gangs with around 30,000 to 35,000 thousand members, and a lot of them are stationed in Los Angeles. Their primary rivals are Bloods,, but rivalry among Crips sets is also not uncommon. Like in every other gang, the hierarchy is very important in Crips. “Original gangsters” are at the top, while the lowest level members are referred to as Babies. They are often associated with most violent crimes since they are directly involved with rival drug dealers.
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2. The Bloods
The Bloods, also known as Original Blood Family (OBF) gang is mostly (but not exclusively) an African American gang founded in Los Angeles, California. This gang was formed as a competition to another dangerous gang, Crips. The Bloods are a loosely structured gang, comprised of multiple “sets” or associations of smaller gangs. Once a person joins Bloods set/association, it is for life, and he/she cannot leave the gang. They recruit new members mostly in poor communities offering safety and protection as well as the opportunity to enjoy “benefits” of gang life such as cash, expensive clothing, gold jewelry, etc.
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1. MS-13
Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS – 13) is one of the most dangerous gangs in America, and President Trump proclaimed that he would dedicate special attention to this gang which caused loss of many innocent lives. MS – 13 gang was founded by Central American immigrants in the 1980s. At first, members were mostly from El Salvador, but later Hondurans, Mexicans, Guatemalans, and others were included as well. This gang tries to live according to their motto “mata, viola, controla” (kill, rape, control) and they use violence to spread fear. Human trafficking, gang rapes, executions and vicious machete attacks are just some of the tools they use to spread violence. Currently, they are the top priority when it comes to gang violence which also makes it a perfect candidate for the number one spot on our list of 15 most dangerous gangs in America in 2018.
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