page_title: Drug cartel
section_title: United States
hierarchical_section_title: Drug cartel / Americas / North America / United States
context_page_description: A drug cartel is any criminal organization with the intention of supplying 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, but the term stuck and it is now popularly used to refer to any criminal narcotics related organization.
  The basic structure of a drug cartel is as follows:
  Falcons: Considered as the "eyes and ears" of the streets, the "falcons" are the lowest rank in any drug cartel. They are responsible for supervising and reporting the activities of the police, the military, and rival groups.
  Hitmen: The armed group within the drug cartel, responsible for carrying out assassinations, kidnappings, thefts, and extortions, operating protection rackets, and defending their plaza from rival groups and the military.
  Lieutenants: The second highest position in the drug cartel organization, responsible for supervising the hitmen and falcons within their own territory.
context_section_description: The United States of America is the world's largest consumer of cocaine and other illegal drugs.  This is a list of American criminal organizations involved in illegal drug traffic, drug trade and other related crimes in the United States:
  National Crime Syndicate
  Seven Group
  Murder, Inc.
  Polish Mob
  Saltis-McErlane Gang
  Kielbasa Posse
  The Greenpoint Crew
  Flats Mob
  The Flathead gang
  Prohibition-era gangs
  Galveston
  Downtown Gang
  Beach Gang
  The Maceo syndicate
  Shelton Brothers Gang
  Sheldon Gang
  Broadway Mob
  The Lanzetta Brothers
  Circus Cafe Gang
  Wandering Family
  Remus organization
  Hispanic-American
  Marielitos
  The Corporation
  Mexican Mafia
  Surenos or SUR 13
  Puerto Rican mafia
  Agosto organization
  La ONU
  Martinez Familia Sangeros
  Solano organization
  Negri organization
  Márquez gambling ring
  Polanco-Rodriguez organization
  Los Angeles (See also Rampart scandal)
  Nash gang
  Wonderland Gang
  Dixie Mafia
  Cornbread Mafia
  Greek-American organized crime
  Philadelphia Greek Mob
  Velentzas Family
  Assyrian/Chaldean mafia
  Hawaii
  The Company
  Leota mob
  Wall gang
  Elkins mob
  The Chickens and the Bulls
  Binion mob
  Johnston gang
caption: Map of violent crime per 100,000 people in the US by state in 2016