Concept
Russian mafia
Related concepts (11)
Thief in law
A "thief in law" (вор в зако́не; კანონიერი ქურდი; Uzbek: qonundagi oʻgʻri) in the Soviet Union, the post-Soviet states, and their respective diasporas is a formal and special status of "criminal authority", a professional criminal who enjoys an elite position among other members within organized crime and correctional facility environments and who has informal authority over lower-status members. The phrase "thief in law" is a calque of the Russian slang phrase vor v zakone, literally translated as 'thief in [opposition of] the law'.
Triad (organized crime)
A triad () is a Chinese transnational organized crime syndicate based in Greater China with outposts in various countries having significant Chinese diaspora populations. The Hong Kong triad is distinct from mainland Chinese criminal organizations. In ancient China, the triad was one of three major secret societies. It established branches in Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chinese communities overseas. Known as "mainland Chinese criminal organizations", they are of two major types: “dark forces” (loosely-organized groups) ()and “Black Societies" () (more mature criminal organizations).
Yakuza
, also known as 極道, are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them 暴力団, while the yakuza call themselves 任侠団体. The English equivalent for the term yakuza is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization. The yakuza are known for their strict codes of conduct, their organized fiefdom nature, and several unconventional ritual practices such as yubitsume or amputation of the left little finger.
Camorra
The Camorra (kaˈmɔrra; kaˈmorrə) is an Italian Mafia-type criminal organization and criminal society originating in the region of Campania. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 17th century. The Camorra's organizational structure is divided into individual groups also called "clans". Every capo or "boss" is the head of a clan, in which there may be tens or hundreds of affiliates, depending on the clan's power and structure.
Drug cartel
A drug cartel is a criminal organization composed of independent drug lords who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the illegal drug trade. Drug cartels form with the purpose of controlling the supply of the illegal drug trade and maintaining prices at a high level. The formations of drug cartels are common in Latin American countries. Rivalries between multiple drug cartels cause them to wage turf wars against each other.
Criminal tattoo
Criminal tattoos are a type of tattoos associated with criminals to show gang membership and record the wearer's personal history—such as their skills, specialties, accomplishments, incarceration, world view and/or means of personal expression. Tattoos have been empirically associated with deviance, personality disorders, and criminality. Certain tattoo designs have developed recognized coded meanings. The code systems can be quite complex, and because of the nature of what they encode, the designs of criminal tattoos are not widely recognized as such to outsiders.
Organized crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a form of illegal business, some criminal organizations, such as terrorist groups, rebel forces, and separatists, are politically motivated. Many criminal organizations rely on fear or terror to achieve their goals or aims as well as to maintain control within the organization and may adopt tactics commonly used by authoritarian regimes to maintain power.
Irish Mob
The Irish Mob (also known as the Irish mafia or Irish organized crime) is a usually crime family-based ethnic collective of organized crime syndicates composed of primarily ethnic Irish members which operate primarily in Ireland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and have been in existence since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish-American street gangs - famously first depicted in Herbert Asbury's 1927 book, The Gangs of New York - the Irish Mob has appeared in most major U.
'Ndrangheta
The 'Ndrangheta ((ən)dræŋˈɡɛtə, nˈdraŋɡeta, (ɳ)ˈɖɽaɲɟɪta) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate based in the peninsular region of Calabria and dating back to the 18th century. It is considered one of the most powerful organized crime groups in the world. Since the 1950s, following wide-scale emigration from Calabria, the organization has established itself worldwide. It is characterized by a horizontal structure made up of autonomous clans known as ndrine, based almost exclusively on blood ties.
Gang
A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectively, in illegal, and possibly violent, behavior. The word gang derives from the past participle of Old English gan, meaning . It is cognate with Old Norse gangr, meaning .