The Most Dangerous Gangs in the World

Murder. Drugs. Prostitution. Extortion. Political manipulation. Here are the world's most dangerous gangs.

Image via Complex Original

America glorifies gangs. Our obsession traces back to the prohibition era when they first became prominent. During that time, illegal booze pushers like Al Capone were high rollers with all of the power. Little has changed since then. Gangs all around the world still use drugs, sex, extortion, political influence and murder to achieve power, fame, and financial gain. Some gangs are better at it than others. Wouldn't you like to know which ones? Of course you would! Here are the world's most dangerous gangs. (NOTE: They're in no particular order because they're all obviously terrible.)

Sinaloa Cartel

Location: Mexico
Scariest fact: They murder people on camera and then post it on the Internet.
Murder weapons:Various assault rifles, AK-47s, and grenades.

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most active and prolific drug cartels on the face of the planet. The CEO, also known as El Chapo, is Public Enemy Number One Joaquin Guzman Loera. Forbes included him on its list of most powerful people in the world. He was one spot ahead of Jill Abramson, the executive editor of the New York Times, and one spot behind U.S. House Speaker John Boehner. (Mind you, Boehner is next in line after the Vice President to take over the presidency in the event of a tragedy.) Though Guzman Loera is currently arrested, that won’t stop the cartel from its usual dealings of extortion, kidnappings for ransom, human trafficking, smuggling, prostitution, and murder. Reports claim that the Sinaloa Cartel was allowed to smuggle billions of dollars worth of drugs into the U.S. in exchange for information on other cartels. Its main rivals are the Los Zetas.

Aryan Brotherhood

Location: United States
Scariest fact: They're racist psycho killers.
Murder weapons: Bare hands, shanks, acid baths, and hatred.

The Aryan Brotherhood is mostly a prison gang, so they aren't a strikingly horrific danger. However, they kill people, kill people, and kill people in jails at an alarming rate. They kill people outside of jails as well, but not nearly as much. The Aryan Brotherhood was founded in 1964 in San Quentin prison near San Francisco. Since 1964 they've earned the distinguishable title of the “most violent extremist group in the US,” by the Anti-Defamation League. Aryan Brethren can be spotted with Nazi and bagpipe tattoos and sometime satanic symbols.

Mungiki

Location: KenyaScariest fact: They guzzle jerrycans of human blood.
Murder weapons: Machetes, spears, poison, and clubs.

Mungiki is a mysterious gang that also operates like a cult. They’ve been known to do weird (read: batshit crazy) things. “Mungiki" translates to “multitude” in Kikuyu, a Bantu language. This is fitting because there are anywhere between 100,000 and a few million members. An exact number is unknown because the Mungikis have a secretive nature. The militant gang, which was banned in 2002, terrorizes Kenya with violent extortion, political affiliations, controlling public transportation, murder, and kidnappings. In May of last year, BBC reported that Mungiki set a town called Gatundu on fire because an operator allegedly declined to give the gang money.

14k Triad

Location: China
Scariest fact: The have infiltrated police ranks.
Murder weapons:Meat cleavers, fire, and guns.

Triads are organized crime goons typically based in Asia, but have been sprinkling their bad seeds across the globe selling drugs. They’re like the Italian-American gangs you see on television and in the movies, but are still operating on a large scale. Established in 1949 after the Chinese civil war, the 14k Triad has over 20,000 members. The gist of their activities include illegal gambling, human trafficking, drug trafficking, counterfeiting, weapons trafficking, prostitution, kidnapping, money laundering, loan sharking, vehicle trafficking, extortion, robbery, and murder.

Bloods/Crips

Location: United States
Scariest fact: They’re absolutely everywhere.
Murder weapons:Guns, knives, and fists of fury.

A lot of the gangs on this list make the Bloods and the Crips look softer than people who wear Toms. No, the Bloods and Crips aren’t chopping dozens of people’s heads off or drinking their victim's blood, but the high number and large amount of criminal activity make them a significant threat in the United States. Hell, Bloods and Crips are heavy in the military. Neighborhood gangs actually present the most significant threat. This is that clear and present danger shit.

United Bamboo

Location: Taiwan
Scariest fact: They once murdered a journalist in his own garage.
Murder weapons: Gun, guns, and more guns.

Barrio Azteca

Location: Mexico/United States
Scariest fact: They consistently terrorize in the U.S.
Murder weapons:RPGs, Rifles, IEDs, and GOLD AK-47s.

The Barrio Aztecas originated in prisons in El Paso, Texas in 1986. Soon after they became a transnational gang and rivals to the Sinaloa Cartel. In the beginning, they were considered a street gang, but have transitioned into a paramilitary structured cartel. They're pretty damn ruthless. Barrio Aztecas are responsible for killing a pregnant U.S. Consulate worker in broad daylight and 16 teenagers at a party.

Mara Salvatrucha

Location: El Salvador
Scariest fact: They basically control the government in El Salvador.
Murder weapons: Machetes and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

The Mara Salvatrucha is also known as MS-13. It's a transnational criminal organization that was founded in the 1980s in Los Angeles, California by immigrant El Salvadorians. Today the MS-13 is known as one of the most violent gangs in both North and South America. The gang is heavily involved in drug, human, and weapons trafficking, prostitution, extortion, and murder, and they aren't afraid to put a hit out on a Federal agent. MS-13 has an estimated 70,000 members with roughly 10,000 in the United States. MS-13 has a partnership with Los Zetas, which entails hiring MS-13 members to undergo specialized military training.

Los Zetas

Location: Mexico
Scariest fact: They're like Navy SEALS, but completely illegal.
Murder weapons: Rocket launchers and semiautomatic handguns.

Los Zetas were originally members of an elite force in the Mexican army, then one day they decided to go AWOL and become gang lords. (Imagine how nuts it would be if a handful of Navy SEALS decided to join the Crips.) Los Zetas was founded in the 1990s when skilled members of the Mexican army went rogue to operate under the Gulf Cartel. In 2000, they broke away from the Gulf Cartel to form their own independent gang. The United States government recognizes Los Zetas as "the most technologically advanced, sophisticated and dangerous cartel operating in Mexico." The gang deals in assassinations, extortion, kidnapping, oil, and the drug trade. They are incredibly violent. In August 2011, they set fire to a casino in Monterrey, Nuevo León in Mexico killing 52 innocent people.

Yamaguchi-gumi

Location: Japan
Scariest fact: They may recruit people via their own website and magazine.
Murder weapons:Bombs and guns.

The Yamaguchi-gumi are one of many Yakuza gangs in Japan. The Yakuza are generally highly organized—they even have corporate logos, business, cards and an office—and have a legacy of being super strict. (To atone for mistakes and to leave the gang, members have their fingers cut off.) The numbers for Yamaguchi-gumi range anywhere between 25,000 and 40,000, and the Obama Administration has acted in an effort to curb their influence and activity. It may have worked. They have become less violent, and the Yamaguchi-gumi will lead you to believe that they’re now a social awareness organization with a website and theme song. Some critics believe the website is a recruitment tactic. It’s hard to turn a blind eye to a history of extortion, intimidation, fraud, political corruption, and assassinations. Old habits die hard.