Knowra Drug cartel Drug cartel A criminal organization that coordinates the production, trafficking, or sale of illegal drugs, often using violence and corruption to protect its operations.
Drug trafficking : The illegal production, transport, and distribution of controlled drugs. Cartels coordinate the routes and intermediaries that carry drugs from producers to buyers.
Medellín Cartel : A Colombian cocaine-trafficking organization led by Pablo Escobar during the late twentieth century. Its wealth, political violence, and centralized leadership shaped the image of a modern cartel.
Drug war : A campaign of law enforcement and military action aimed at suppressing illegal drug production and trade. State crackdowns on cartels can reshape their leadership, tactics, and territorial competition.
Street gang : A local group whose members engage in collective identity, territorial activity, or crime. Street gangs may retail cartel-supplied drugs without coordinating an international supply chain.
Illicit drug trade : The global market in drugs whose production or sale is prohibited by law. Cartels are organized actors within this wider underground economy.
Cali Cartel : A Colombian drug-trafficking organization that became a major cocaine supplier in the 1980s and 1990s. Its comparatively discreet networks contrasted with the Medellín Cartel's conspicuous violence.
Drug-related violence : Violence associated with the production, distribution, enforcement, or consumption of drugs. Cartel competition and coercion can produce killings, intimidation, and displacement.
Drug trafficking organization : A group that participates in the illegal movement or distribution of drugs. The label is broader and less specific than cartel, which implies coordinated market power or control.
Money laundering : The process of disguising criminal proceeds as income from legitimate sources. Cartels use laundering to conceal and reuse revenue from drug sales.
Sinaloa Cartel : A Mexican criminal organization involved in international drug trafficking and other illicit activities. Its cross-border supply networks illustrate how cartels operate beyond one national market.
Show all 21