Street gangs are tearing the United States apart from the inside. Latino gangs in Spain But they don’t sit around playing video games - they have fun in the open air and with friends from the area

We present to your attention a list of the most dangerous gangs on the planet that you would hardly want to cross paths with in a dark alley.
Jamaican Posse. The gang, armed with machine guns, is known for its links to the Jamaican government and for the brutality with which they kill their victims, sometimes even using irons and axes.
Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). This gang settled in Brazil, in all the prisons of Sao Paolo and the slums. Known for kidnapping, extortion and blackmail. In May 2006, they managed to keep the whole of Sao Paolo under siege for a week, killing police officers and setting fire to government buildings.
Crips. This gang originated from a gang of 16-year-old boys who scared passersby. On this moment it represents one of the largest criminal organizations in the world. Its members dress in blue and are incredibly brutal, so much so that most of their deaths are the result of internal strife.
Aryan Brotherhood. The gang is responsible for more than a quarter of prison murders in the United States. To enter here you need to kill any cellmate.
La Nuestra Familia. This is one of the largest Chicano gangs in the world and one of the most bitter rivals of the Mexican mafia. The gang is known for its demands for loyalty, and the initiation process takes several years. For everyone who entered here, there is no turning back.
Latin Kings. This gang is one of the most well organized gangs Latin America in the world. They have their own Constitution, which includes traces of Marxism, Confucianism and Christianity. Although they are not particularly violent, their activities include contract killings.
James-Younger Gang. Unlike other gangs, Jesse James and his associates are no longer alive. This gang became famous not for its cruelty, but for its art of stealing money from people.
Mexican Mafia (La eMe). This gang is an ally of the Aryan Brotherhood with south coast USA. Known for her active involvement in the drug trade. Gang members are easily identified by a special tattoo in the form of a black hand located on the chest.
Wah Ching. Although the history of this gang is controversial, one thing is well known - they are great at making money. Although they often resort to extreme cruelty, they only use it as a means to an end. The bulk of their activities center around money laundering and financial crimes in Los Angeles and East Asia.
Black Guerrilla Family. This gang was founded in 1966 with the goal of overthrowing the US government. Their allies include a huge number of gangs on both coasts.
Area Boys (Agberos). A group of loosely organized teenagers roam the streets of Lagos, Nigeria. The group is known for its extortion and drug addiction. Despite their poor organization, they are still dangerous thanks to unprovoked attacks on peaceful passers-by and their peers.
Almighty Black P. Stone Nation. A street gang from Chicago with a strong Islamic leaning. Its leader is Abdullah-Malik, who is associated with Muammar Gaddafi. Despite the fact that they were not known to be particularly violent, they were often pursued by FBI agents.
Yakuza. Members of this Japanese gang, upon joining, are required to cut off all ties with their family as proof of their complete loyalty to the boss. It is widely believed in Western media that gang members cut off one of their fingers as a form of regret.
Hell's Angels. A biker gang widely known for its brutality. It should also be noted that while most mafia groups or criminal organizations are involved in illegal activities In order to make a profit, this gang considers violence a part of life.
Cosa Nostra. This crime syndicate is better known as American Mafia, is a branch of the famous Sicilian mafia. Its roots go back to the East Side of New York during the beginning of Italian immigration to the United States. This group is known for its brutality and merciless punishment in case of violation of the code.
Irish Republican Army (IRA). This is not your typical gang. The Irish Republican Army operates similarly to many of the gangs on this list, violence is their strong point. The IRA paramilitary group is responsible for numerous deaths and terrorist attacks. Its goal is to eradicate Northern Ireland and a united Irish government.
Bloods. This gang is known for its red bands and rivalry with the Crips gang. Initially, the Bloods were an offshoot of this gang, but after the conflict they were forced to resort to extreme violence.
Texas Syndicate. This is one of the small gangs allied with Los Zetas. They are known for a number of contract killings committed in the United States.
Triads. This is a major Chinese crime syndicate with more than 2.5 million members worldwide. Known for their clearly organized structure and bloody rituals.
Mongols. Like the Hells Angels, this group uses a philosophy of violence to live its life. Among other things, these two gangs are at enmity with each other.
18th Street Gang. According to statistics, every day in the Los Angeles area someone becomes a victim of this gang. Over the past ten years, this gang has committed 3 times more murders than anyone on this list.
Los Zetas. This is one of the most powerful drug cartels in the world. Los Zetas are responsible for so much death and destruction that words cannot express them. Their base is located in Mexico, but their influence extends far beyond the Mexican borders.
Russian Mafia. Widely known for its practice of not only killing rivals, but also all members of their families, the Russian mafia brings new meaning to the word "cold-blooded." Their influence is spread throughout the world.
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). One of the most violent gangs in the world, MS-13 makes most other gangs look like high school kids smoking marijuana. It was founded in California in the 1980s. Since then it has grown to 70,000 people throughout the Central and North America.
The Mungiki. This gang operates in the slums of Nairobi and numbers more than 100,000 people. In the past, its members were known for wearing dreadlocks and bathing in blood. Their symbolism is severed human head on a stick

1) Latin American gang member Arafat with his girlfriend in Barcelona.

Intrepid photographer Lorena Ros took to the streets of Spanish cities to capture these images of members of two Latin American gangs, The Neta and Latin Kings.

These are two competing youth groups, which consist mainly of immigrants from Latin America. The photographs collected here were taken in Madrid and Barcelona.

20 photos © Lorena Ross via
photoshelter.com

2) Members of the Latin Kings gang at night in a Madrid park. "Latin Kings" is considered one of the largest Latin American gangs, whose history goes back to the 60s of the last century. Despite the lack of central leadership, the gang operates in 34 countries around the world, and the total number of its members reaches 100 thousand people.

3) Dominican girls at a Latin American party in Barcelona. Members of the Latin Kings gang call themselves the "Almighty Nation of Latin Kings", or simply "The Nation". There are 25 thousand “kings” in the USA. And in Spain there are several hundred “kings”, half of whom are minors. The gang is especially active in Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante.

4) Members of the Neta gang in Barcelona. The Neta gang, or N~etas in Spanish, is a rival Latin American criminal group whose members are primarily Puerto Ricans.

5) “Neta” is engaged in drug trafficking and extortion, for which it establishes connections with youth street gangs.

6) Tony is one of the members of the Latin Kings gang at night on the outskirts of Madrid. Tony came to Spain from Ecuador two years ago and soon joined a gang. Unlike the United States, on the Iberian Peninsula the gang is mainly composed of young men and women from Ecuador, Colombia and Dominican Republic. However, in last years Spaniards, Filipinos and natives of the Maghreb join the gang.

7) Girlfriends of Latin Kings gang members in the park at night. Each gang has its own symbols. For example, traditional colors the bands of Latin kings are yellow and black, and the symbol is a wreath of five arrows and a crown.

8) Members of the Neta group play billiards in Barcelona. The symbol of the Neta organization is a heart pierced with the flag of Puerto Rico, as well as a hand with crossed fingers, which in the language of the deaf and dumb means the letter "H" and also symbolizes unity. The gang colors are red, white and blue, sometimes black.

9) Dominicans play baseball in a Barcelona square. Members of different criminal groups can be identified by their corresponding clothing, bandanas or beads in the colors of their gang. Many young people get tattoos of their gang symbols.

12) A young Dominican couple dances at a Latin American party in Barcelona. However, it is believed that once you become a member of a gang, it is almost impossible to leave it. Of course, this is not true, although an apostate may face a number of problems, especially if he does not change his place of residence.

13) Tony and Melo from the Latin Kings gang change clothes. In practice, the only punishment is leaving to another gang. This is the worst betrayal that can lead to blood. Recently in Madrid, a similar incident led to a bloody conflict between rival gangs Latin Kinas and Netas. As a result, several people died.

14) The girls are friends of members of the Neta gang.

15) Members of the Latin Kings gang in a night park in Madrid. Newcomers are forced to undergo “strength” tests. This could be taking part in a violent fight using bladed weapons or simply stealing mobile phone at stranger on the street.

16) With like-minded people from different countries members of the group communicate via the Internet, and they have no language problems - everyone knows Spanish. Any gang member can ask online good advice or help.

18) Tomy came to Spain from the Dominican Republic and even worked part-time for a time in a company providing funeral services.

19) “Latin Kings” in the park at night. From the suburbs, gang members came to Madrid to compete with their sworn enemies from Netas.

20) Members criminal group"Latin Kings" at night in one of the Madrid parks.

10) Members of the Latin Kings gang in one of the night parks in Madrid. Many Latino teenagers look for something in a gang that they don't have at home. Protection, friendship, attention, involvement in something significant. Many of those who joined the gang come from dysfunctional families.

A list of the most dangerous gangs on the planet that you would hardly want to cross paths with in a dark alley.

1. Jamaican Posse.
The gang, armed with machine guns, is known for its links to the Jamaican government and for the brutality with which they kill their victims, sometimes even using irons and axes.

2. Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC).
This gang settled in Brazil, in all the prisons of Sao Paolo and the slums. Known for kidnapping, extortion and blackmail. In May 2006, they managed to keep the whole of Sao Paolo under siege for a week, killing police officers and setting fire to government buildings.

3. Crips.
This gang originated from a gang of 16-year-old boys who scared passersby. It is currently one of the largest criminal organizations in the world. Its members dress in blue and are incredibly brutal, so much so that most of their deaths are the result of internal strife.

4. Aryan Brotherhood.
The gang is responsible for more than a quarter of prison murders in the United States. To enter here you need to kill any cellmate.

5. La Nuestra Familia.
This is one of the largest Chicano gangs in the world and one of the most bitter rivals of the Mexican mafia. The gang is known for its demands for loyalty, and the initiation process takes several years. For everyone who entered here, there is no turning back.

6. Latin Kings.
This gang is one of the most well-organized Latin American gangs in the world. They have their own Constitution, which includes traces of Marxism, Confucianism and Christianity. Although they are not particularly violent, their activities include contract killings.

7. James-Younger Gang.
Unlike other gangs, Jesse James and his associates are no longer alive. This gang became famous not for its cruelty, but for its art of stealing money from people.

8. Mexican Mafia (La eMe).
This gang is an ally of the Aryan Brotherhood from the south coast of the United States. Known for her active involvement in the drug trade. Gang members are easily identified by a special tattoo in the form of a black hand located on the chest.

9. Wah Ching.
Although the history of this gang is controversial, one thing is well known - they are great at making money. Although they often resort to extreme cruelty, they only use it as a means to an end. The bulk of their activities center around money laundering and financial crimes in Los Angeles and East Asia.

10. Black Guerrilla Family.
This gang was founded in 1966 with the goal of overthrowing the US government. Their allies include a huge number of gangs on both coasts.

11.Area Boys (Agberos).
A group of loosely organized teenagers roam the streets of Lagos, Nigeria. The group is known for its extortion and drug addiction. Despite their poor organization, they are still dangerous thanks to unprovoked attacks on peaceful passers-by and their peers.

12. Almighty Black P. Stone Nation.
A street gang from Chicago with a strong Islamic leaning. Its leader is Abdullah-Malik, who is associated with Muammar Gaddafi. Despite the fact that they were not known to be particularly violent, they were often pursued by FBI agents.

13. Yakuza.
Members of this Japanese gang, upon joining, are required to cut off all ties with their family as proof of their complete loyalty to the boss. Widespread in Western media
the belief is that gang members cut off one of their fingers as a form of regret.

14.Hell's Angels.
A biker gang widely known for its brutality. It should also be noted that while most mafia groups or criminal organizations engage in illegal activities for profit, this gang considers violence a part of life.

15. Cosa Nostra.
This crime syndicate, better known as the American Mafia, is an offshoot of the famous Sicilian Mafia. Its roots go back to the East Side of New York during the beginning of Italian immigration to the United States. This group is known for its brutality and merciless punishment in case of violation of the code.

16.Irish Republican Army (IRA).
This is not your typical gang. The Irish Republican Army operates similarly to many of the gangs on this list, with violence being their forte. The IRA paramilitary group is responsible for numerous deaths and terrorist attacks. Its goal is the eradication of Northern Ireland and a unified Irish government.

17. Bloods.
This gang is known for its red bands and rivalry with the Crips gang. Initially, the Bloods were an offshoot of this gang, but after the conflict they were forced to resort to extreme violence.

18. Texas Syndicate.
This is one of the small gangs allied with Los Zetas. They are known for a number of contract killings committed in the United States.

19. Triads.
This is a major Chinese crime syndicate with more than 2.5 million members worldwide. Known for their clearly organized structure and bloody rituals.

20. Mongols.
Like the Hells Angels, this group uses a philosophy of violence to live its life. Among other things, these two gangs are at enmity with each other.

21. 18th Street Gang.
According to statistics, every day in the Los Angeles area someone becomes a victim of this gang. Over the past ten years, this gang has committed 3 times more murders than anyone on this list.

22. Los Zetas.
This is one of the most powerful drug cartels in the world. Los Zetas are responsible for so much death and destruction that words cannot express them. Their base is located in Mexico, but their influence extends far beyond the Mexican borders.

23. Russian Mafia.
Widely known for its practice of not only killing rivals, but also all members of their families, the Russian mafia brings new meaning to the word "cold-blooded." Their influence is spread throughout the world.

24. Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).
One of the most violent gangs in the world, MS-13 makes most other gangs look like high school kids smoking marijuana. It was founded in California in the 1980s. Since then it has grown to 70,000 people throughout Central and North America.

25. The Mungiki.
This gang operates in the slums of Nairobi and numbers more than 100,000 people. In the past, its members were known for wearing dreadlocks and bathing in blood. Their symbolism is a severed human head on a stick.

The most dangerous gangs in the USA (New York, Los Angeles)

Of course, there are many more dangerous gangs in the United States that deserve close attention, but we will focus on the five very best.

(slang for “gang of wandering ants”) or MS 13- is by far the most powerful and dangerous street gang operating in the United States, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala and a number of other Central American countries. In 2012, US authorities declared MS 13 the first international criminal organization in history.

Mara Salvatrucha formed in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, when hundreds of thousands of emigrants from Central American countries poured into the United States. Initially, the core of the gang was formed from citizens of El Salvador, and then people from Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras began to join it.

At first, it was one of the many street gangs that traded on the streets of Los Angeles and spent a significant part of their time in brutal wars with hostile groups, primarily with blacks. Then the Salvadoran smart boys were swept away by respectable guys from the Mexican mafia and proposed a criminal alliance - Surenos (Sureños). According to the agreement, the ants were tasked with supplying fighters for dirty work, which the Mexicans entrusted to them, and they, in turn, pledged to provide all support to the Salvadorans in street wars and in prisons. After this, the authority and power of Mara Salvatrucha grew by leaps and bounds.

Today in the United States there are about 10-12 thousand members of this gang, while the total number of Mara Salvatrucha in all of America reaches 70 thousand people. The geography of MS-13 in the USA is quite extensive, judge for yourself: California, Washington, Texas, New York, Maryland, Illinois, Florida, Virginia, Oregon, Michigan, Nevada, Utah, Georgia, Oklahoma and even. At least 40 American cities The "ants" have their own branches.

Tattoos: MS 13 tattoos, often covering the wearer from head to toe, knowledgeable people they can tell about a lot of things - who he is and what he is, why and how long he was in prison, who he killed, etc.

Criminal activities: drug trafficking, control of prostitution (including children's), racketeering, protection of criminal and semi-criminal businesses, extortion, arms trafficking, murder, organizing the delivery of illegal immigrants to the States, various dirty work on behalf of the allied Mexican mafia.

Also known as Barrio 18 or M-18- a large street gang from Los Angeles, whose brigades, in addition to the “City of Angels,” operate in 120 American cities in 37 states. For decades now, the main enemies of the M-18 have been Mara Salvatrucha and a number of African-American groups. The main ally is La Eme (Mexican mafia).

The gang appeared in the 60s of the last century in Los Angeles. Its core consisted of Mexicans and immigrants from Central America. Today, the 18th Street Gang is considered the largest gang in Los Angeles - in this city and surrounding areas alone there are about 10 thousand members of this group, and in total, according to some sources, up to 30 thousand people are loyal to it.

The main income of M-18 comes from street drug trafficking. Gang members are also involved in protecting businesses, illegal immigration, document forgery, extortion, underground gambling, kidnappings, murders, in general, everything that such gangs do.

The FBI began to take a closer look at the M-18 guys back in the 1990s, but they really only got involved in the mid-2000s, when a series of large-scale raids were carried out against its members.

The M-18’s main enemy is considered to be the famous Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), with which it has a history for long years continued bloody showdown, and this despite the fact that these two gangs have the same main ally - La Eme(Mexican Mafia).

One of the most famous and brutal prison gangs in the United States. Initially, having originated in 1964 as an ordinary racist group, over time AB transformed into a full-fledged criminal syndicate, where today money comes first and ideology comes second.

The Aryan Brotherhood accounts for approximately 20% of all murders committed in federal prisons in the country. Despite the racist ideology, one of the gang's main allies is the Mexican mafia, for which the "Aryans" sometimes carry out contract killings. AB also has contacts with some Asian groups that deliver drugs to the United States, but it is believed that the “Aryans” will never have anything to do with blacks. By the way, the main enemy of AB is the black group “Black Guerrilla Family”.

Today, more than 10,000 people are in the ranks of the Aryan Brotherhood. To join a gang, a white prisoner must kill another prisoner, preferably a black or Latino. Leaving the gang means death.

ABs are involved in drug trafficking, murders for hire and on racial grounds, racketeering, arms trafficking, etc. As mentioned above, it is impossible to leave the ranks of the gang - AB members released from prison must supply their brothers with money, drugs and other contraband.

Characteristic tattoos: abbreviations SS and AB, swastika, zig runes, 666.

Crips

Crips- one of the oldest criminal alliances in the United States. The Crips are made up of many African-American gangs, without any central control. The gang was founded in 1969 by teenagers Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams in Los Angeles. Today, there are up to 40 thousand fighters in the ranks of the “cripples”.

Another African-American group, bloods(z), has been considered the sworn enemies of the “cripples” for many years. In addition to the "bloody", crips are at odds with such well-known gangs as the Neighborhood Pirus, Mara Salvatrucha, the Nazis from the Aryan Brotherhood and Nazi Lowriders, as well as the Surenos. Often, gangs belonging to the crips alliance fight among themselves.

Criminal activities: murder, drug trafficking, robbery, theft, car theft, document forgery, arms trafficking, extortion.

Gang attributes: Blue color, blue bandanas, British Knights sneakers, specific tattoos, gangster graffiti. It has its own slang.

Initiation: A Crips candidate must commit a crime in front of one of the gang members. The girls are accepted after having sexual intercourse with several older “cripples.”

Bloods/bloodz (bloody)

Bloods/bloodz (bloody)- an alliance of African-American street gangs formed in South Los Angeles. Distinctive feature gang is wearing red clothing, which is supposed to symbolize blood. The “bloody” alliance primarily consists of African-American groups (sets), although it also includes Latinos and white fighters. The ranks of bloods number about 15-20 thousand fighters.

The Bloods were formed in 1972 in famed South Central Los Angeles. The main reason that some street gangs had to urgently organize an alliance was another, no less known groupСrips (cripples), whose power and appetites grew by leaps and bounds. All gangs that were attacked by the “cripples” received an offer to join new union, and thus become much more competitive in relation to crips. For decades now, Bloods and Crips have been irreconcilable enemies of each other.

Criminal activities: drug trafficking, robbery, murder, extortion.