The top 5 Crime Bosses and Drug Lords in 2012 and those who control some of the largest organized crime operations on the planet. Organized crime has always been a problem, but as we move into 2012 some syndicates have exploded with profit and influence. Criminal groups that used to follow illegal schemes have turned to more reliable forms of profit.
The people that will be highlighted in this article include the current leaders of the Sicilian Mafia, American Cosa Nostra, Neopolitan Camorra, ‘Ndrangheta, Russian Mafia, Albanian Mafia, Chinese Triads, Japanese Yakuza, Montreal Mob, Solntsevskaya Bratva, Clerkenwell crime syndicate, Los Rastrojos, Sinaloa Cartel, and the Juárez Cartel.
In some cases it was hard to determine the true godfather, so an underboss is highlighted. In order to be considered for the article the individual had to be either out of jail or scheduled to be released in the next year. This was necessary in order to eliminate the huge amount of crime bosses that continue to run operations from behind bars.
Lets see the top 5 Crime Bosses and Drug Lords in 2012 :
1.Semion Mogilevich
Semion Yudkovich Mogilevich is a Ukrainian-born organized crime boss, believed by European and United States federal law enforcement agencies to be the "boss of bosses" of most Russian Mafia syndicates in the world.
Semion Mogilevich has been described by the FBI as the most dangerous mobster in the world. He is a Ukrainian-born organized crime boss who is believed to be the leader of the Russian Mafia. All decisions related to the expansion and organization of the syndicate is run by Semion Mogilevich. He is an extremely intelligent and ruthless leader who holds a degree in economics. Mogilevich earned the nicknames “Don Semyon” and “The Brainy Don” because of his smarts. According to Wikileaks, Mogilevich has been connected with some huge companies, including RosUkrEnergo, Raiffeisen Bank, and Gazprom, which is a Russian state energy group.
Semion Mogilevich rose to the position of godfather after he gained control of the Solntsevskaya Bratva. The Solntsevskaya Bratva is a powerful crime organization from Moscow named after the Solntsevo neighborhood in the city. The syndicate is considered to be one of the most dangerous criminal groups in the world. They are known for a strict code of violence, drug smuggling, racketeering, illegal gambling, kidnapping, and contract killings. The Russian Mob is also one of the most profitable in the world and Semion Mogilevich is said to be a secret billionaire.
Some articles have even suggested a link between the criminal kingpin and Vladimir Putin, accusing Putin of keeping Mogilevich safe in return for his presidential support. Whatever the case, Semion Mogilevich is currently the most recognized and powerful organized crime boss in the world. He is protected by a thick line of political defenses and continues to control the most detrimental criminal clan of Russia. On October 22, 2009 Mogilevich was named by the FBI as the 494th fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list.
2.Matteo Messina Denaro
Who is the current capo dei capi of the Sicilian Mafia? This article will focus on a man named Matteo Messina Denaro who is thought to be the godfather. Denaro is currently not in prison, but is heavily wanted all over the world. In Italy, the Sicilian Mafia (Cosa Nostra) is a powerful criminal syndicate that emerged in the middle of the 1800s. The organization is composed of a collection of families who claim a territory in which they operate an extensive racketeering business.
In 2008, it was reported that about 25.2% of Sicilian businesses were indebted to loan sharks, who collected around €1.4 billion a year in payments. The Sicilian Mafia is believed to have a turnover of €6.5 billion through the control of public and private contracts. Mafiosi members reportedly use threats of violence and vandalism to muscle out competitors and win contracts. It is estimated that the Sicilian Mafia costs the Sicilian economy more than €10 billion a year through protection rackets.
All of these facts have put pressure on the Italian police to fight the Cosa Nostra. In 2008, the authorities foiled an attempt by the syndicate to reconstitute a new Mafia Commission. At the meeting a large number of names were nominated as the new godfather, including Benedetto Capizzi, Gaetano Lo Presti, Gerlando Alberti, Gregorio Agrigento, Giovanni Lipari, Gaetano Fidanzati, Giuseppe Scaduto, and Salvatore Lombardo. Some younger bosses include Giovanni Riina, Domenico Raccuglia, Pietro Tagliavia, Gianni Nicchi, and Raccuglia. Most of these people are in prison, but it should be mentioned that a large collection of mafia members continue to run operations while in jail.
Matteo Messina Denaro is a 50-year-old mafia boss that is widely considered to be the current godfather. He is one of the wealthiest fugitives in the world. Denaro is often portrayed as a ruthless playboy and womanizer by the media. He is violent man and has a reputation for fast living and expensive things. Over the last couple years, the Italian government has seized over 3 billion euros from dealings related to Messina Denaro. In 2011, an attempt to arrest Denaro failed and he escaped. Today, he remains one of the top mob bosses in the world.
3. Joaquín Guzmán Loera
After Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, a man named Joaquín Guzmán Loera (El Chapo) became the most wanted man in the world. Loera is the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and has been named “the world’s most powerful drug trafficker.” The Sinaloa Cartel is a drug-trafficking syndicate based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, with major operations in the Mexican states of Baja California, Durango, Sonora, and Chihuahua. The cartel has been called Mexico’s most powerful organized crime group and primarily smuggles cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana into hubs around the world.
The U.S. DEA strongly believes that Joaquín Guzmán Loera has surpassed the influence of Pablo Escobar as the “godfather of the drug world.” In 2011, Forbes magazine ranked him as the 55th most powerful person in the world. He is also one of the richest and a billionaire many times over. To keep a low profile, El Chapo is known to hold a vast collection of hideouts and underground fortresses. He is connected with many powerful government officials, police officers, and other businessmen who protect the cartels assets. A kingpin named Ismael Zambada García is the co-leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The U.S. and Mexican governments are determined to capture El Chapo Guzmán before the upcoming 2012 presidential elections. Projections show that his arrest would be good for Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. In June of 2012, the PAN candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota said that if she was elected this summer she had the power to capture El Chapo and help diminish the control of the Sinaloa Cartel.
On February 19, 2012, Mexican lawmen “nearly nabbed” Guzmán Loera in a coastal mansion in Los Cabos just a day after Hillary Clinton met with foreign ministers in the same peninsula. In May 2012, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it would apply sanctions against Guzman’s sons under the Kingpin Act, which prohibits people in the U.S. from conducting businesses with them. Currently, a $7 million reward is being offered for information leading to El Chapo’s arrest, $5 million from the U.S. government and another $2 million from Mexico.
4.Chang An-lo
The United Bamboo Gang is the largest of Taiwan’s three main Triads. The Triad Underground Society is a term used to describe a collection of Chinese criminal organizations based in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Macau, Taiwan, China, and other areas with a significant Chinese population. In the early 1980s the United Bamboo Gang rose to attention when the group became involved with politics. The Bamboo Union was headed by mobster Chen Chi-li (King Duck) for over 30 years until he died in 2007. The true influence of the crime syndicate is not fully understood and the Bamboo Union is a violent group that will do whatever necessary to achieve their ultimate goals.
Similar to other criminal organizations, The Bamboo Union prefers
that people don’t know who the Dragonhead (boss) is. For this reason,
it is impossible to determine. However, we will focus on the possible
leader Chang An-lo (White Wolf). The White Wolf is a top ranking
official in the Bamboo Union who is dangerous because he is extremely
smart. In fact, the White Wolf holds five separate bachelor’s degrees,
three of which were obtained from American universities.
While serving a prison sentence in the United States Chang An-lo was quoted: “The clock can’t be turned back. Many brothers are now in the stock, finance, and construction industries.” The statement is indicating that the Bamboo Union has moved so far into the political sector that they can make billions of dollars and yuan from legal activity and don’t need to risk smuggling. It is well known that the Triads do not deal with drug trafficking. Currently, Chang An-lo is recognized as a former leader of the Bamboo Union crime brotherhood, but remains a fugitive living in Shenzhen, which is north of Hong Kong.
5.Domenico Condello
One of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world is the ‘Ndrangheta. The syndicate is based in Calabria, southern Italy. The ‘Ndrangheta operate independently from the Sicilian Mafia and control over 3% of Italy’s total GDP through extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, and other illegal operations. It has been estimated that the ‘Ndrangheta generate an annual revenue of about €35-40 billion. The main difference between the Sicilian Mafia and the Ndrangheta is their recruitment methods.
The ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate is active all over the world, but extremely prevalent in Canada, especially Toronto. Canada’s banking system is very secretive and doesn’t allow investigation, so it is an ideal place to launder money. Inside of the ‘Ndrangheta, the boss is given the title Capo crimine, but unlike other criminal organizations, this person is not the “boss of bosses.” They actually have comparatively little authority to interfere in family feuds or violence. The last known Capo crimine was Domenico Oppedisano, who was arrested in 2010.
During the late 2000s, the most powerful man inside of the enormous ‘Ndrangheta syndicate was Pasquale Condello. He was known as “Il supremo” (the supreme one) inside of the family.
Condello was regarded as a key figure in the world of trafficking cocaine between Colombia and Italy. He also controlled valuable water purifying contracts in some Calabrian towns. In 2008, Condello was arrested by over 100 policemen who converged on an apartment in the district of Occhio di Péllaro, on the outskirts of Reggio Calabria.
Since the ‘Ndrangheta rely on family blood to organize their hierarchical structure, the next person in line to be the supreme leader of the clan was Pasquale’s cousin Domenico Condello. Domenico is currently one of the most wanted men in Italy and has been evading police for years. In 2012, it was announced that a collection of Domenico’s accomplices and family members were arrested for harboring the fugitive. In 2012, Condello remains at large and a major force behind the ‘Ndrangheta management.
The people that will be highlighted in this article include the current leaders of the Sicilian Mafia, American Cosa Nostra, Neopolitan Camorra, ‘Ndrangheta, Russian Mafia, Albanian Mafia, Chinese Triads, Japanese Yakuza, Montreal Mob, Solntsevskaya Bratva, Clerkenwell crime syndicate, Los Rastrojos, Sinaloa Cartel, and the Juárez Cartel.
In some cases it was hard to determine the true godfather, so an underboss is highlighted. In order to be considered for the article the individual had to be either out of jail or scheduled to be released in the next year. This was necessary in order to eliminate the huge amount of crime bosses that continue to run operations from behind bars.
Lets see the top 5 Crime Bosses and Drug Lords in 2012 :
1.Semion Mogilevich
Semion Yudkovich Mogilevich is a Ukrainian-born organized crime boss, believed by European and United States federal law enforcement agencies to be the "boss of bosses" of most Russian Mafia syndicates in the world.
Semion Mogilevich has been described by the FBI as the most dangerous mobster in the world. He is a Ukrainian-born organized crime boss who is believed to be the leader of the Russian Mafia. All decisions related to the expansion and organization of the syndicate is run by Semion Mogilevich. He is an extremely intelligent and ruthless leader who holds a degree in economics. Mogilevich earned the nicknames “Don Semyon” and “The Brainy Don” because of his smarts. According to Wikileaks, Mogilevich has been connected with some huge companies, including RosUkrEnergo, Raiffeisen Bank, and Gazprom, which is a Russian state energy group.
Semion Mogilevich rose to the position of godfather after he gained control of the Solntsevskaya Bratva. The Solntsevskaya Bratva is a powerful crime organization from Moscow named after the Solntsevo neighborhood in the city. The syndicate is considered to be one of the most dangerous criminal groups in the world. They are known for a strict code of violence, drug smuggling, racketeering, illegal gambling, kidnapping, and contract killings. The Russian Mob is also one of the most profitable in the world and Semion Mogilevich is said to be a secret billionaire.
Some articles have even suggested a link between the criminal kingpin and Vladimir Putin, accusing Putin of keeping Mogilevich safe in return for his presidential support. Whatever the case, Semion Mogilevich is currently the most recognized and powerful organized crime boss in the world. He is protected by a thick line of political defenses and continues to control the most detrimental criminal clan of Russia. On October 22, 2009 Mogilevich was named by the FBI as the 494th fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list.
2.Matteo Messina Denaro
Who is the current capo dei capi of the Sicilian Mafia? This article will focus on a man named Matteo Messina Denaro who is thought to be the godfather. Denaro is currently not in prison, but is heavily wanted all over the world. In Italy, the Sicilian Mafia (Cosa Nostra) is a powerful criminal syndicate that emerged in the middle of the 1800s. The organization is composed of a collection of families who claim a territory in which they operate an extensive racketeering business.
In 2008, it was reported that about 25.2% of Sicilian businesses were indebted to loan sharks, who collected around €1.4 billion a year in payments. The Sicilian Mafia is believed to have a turnover of €6.5 billion through the control of public and private contracts. Mafiosi members reportedly use threats of violence and vandalism to muscle out competitors and win contracts. It is estimated that the Sicilian Mafia costs the Sicilian economy more than €10 billion a year through protection rackets.
All of these facts have put pressure on the Italian police to fight the Cosa Nostra. In 2008, the authorities foiled an attempt by the syndicate to reconstitute a new Mafia Commission. At the meeting a large number of names were nominated as the new godfather, including Benedetto Capizzi, Gaetano Lo Presti, Gerlando Alberti, Gregorio Agrigento, Giovanni Lipari, Gaetano Fidanzati, Giuseppe Scaduto, and Salvatore Lombardo. Some younger bosses include Giovanni Riina, Domenico Raccuglia, Pietro Tagliavia, Gianni Nicchi, and Raccuglia. Most of these people are in prison, but it should be mentioned that a large collection of mafia members continue to run operations while in jail.
Matteo Messina Denaro is a 50-year-old mafia boss that is widely considered to be the current godfather. He is one of the wealthiest fugitives in the world. Denaro is often portrayed as a ruthless playboy and womanizer by the media. He is violent man and has a reputation for fast living and expensive things. Over the last couple years, the Italian government has seized over 3 billion euros from dealings related to Messina Denaro. In 2011, an attempt to arrest Denaro failed and he escaped. Today, he remains one of the top mob bosses in the world.
3. Joaquín Guzmán Loera
After Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, a man named Joaquín Guzmán Loera (El Chapo) became the most wanted man in the world. Loera is the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and has been named “the world’s most powerful drug trafficker.” The Sinaloa Cartel is a drug-trafficking syndicate based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, with major operations in the Mexican states of Baja California, Durango, Sonora, and Chihuahua. The cartel has been called Mexico’s most powerful organized crime group and primarily smuggles cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana into hubs around the world.
The U.S. DEA strongly believes that Joaquín Guzmán Loera has surpassed the influence of Pablo Escobar as the “godfather of the drug world.” In 2011, Forbes magazine ranked him as the 55th most powerful person in the world. He is also one of the richest and a billionaire many times over. To keep a low profile, El Chapo is known to hold a vast collection of hideouts and underground fortresses. He is connected with many powerful government officials, police officers, and other businessmen who protect the cartels assets. A kingpin named Ismael Zambada García is the co-leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The U.S. and Mexican governments are determined to capture El Chapo Guzmán before the upcoming 2012 presidential elections. Projections show that his arrest would be good for Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. In June of 2012, the PAN candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota said that if she was elected this summer she had the power to capture El Chapo and help diminish the control of the Sinaloa Cartel.
On February 19, 2012, Mexican lawmen “nearly nabbed” Guzmán Loera in a coastal mansion in Los Cabos just a day after Hillary Clinton met with foreign ministers in the same peninsula. In May 2012, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it would apply sanctions against Guzman’s sons under the Kingpin Act, which prohibits people in the U.S. from conducting businesses with them. Currently, a $7 million reward is being offered for information leading to El Chapo’s arrest, $5 million from the U.S. government and another $2 million from Mexico.
4.Chang An-lo
The United Bamboo Gang is the largest of Taiwan’s three main Triads. The Triad Underground Society is a term used to describe a collection of Chinese criminal organizations based in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Macau, Taiwan, China, and other areas with a significant Chinese population. In the early 1980s the United Bamboo Gang rose to attention when the group became involved with politics. The Bamboo Union was headed by mobster Chen Chi-li (King Duck) for over 30 years until he died in 2007. The true influence of the crime syndicate is not fully understood and the Bamboo Union is a violent group that will do whatever necessary to achieve their ultimate goals.
While serving a prison sentence in the United States Chang An-lo was quoted: “The clock can’t be turned back. Many brothers are now in the stock, finance, and construction industries.” The statement is indicating that the Bamboo Union has moved so far into the political sector that they can make billions of dollars and yuan from legal activity and don’t need to risk smuggling. It is well known that the Triads do not deal with drug trafficking. Currently, Chang An-lo is recognized as a former leader of the Bamboo Union crime brotherhood, but remains a fugitive living in Shenzhen, which is north of Hong Kong.
5.Domenico Condello
The ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate is active all over the world, but extremely prevalent in Canada, especially Toronto. Canada’s banking system is very secretive and doesn’t allow investigation, so it is an ideal place to launder money. Inside of the ‘Ndrangheta, the boss is given the title Capo crimine, but unlike other criminal organizations, this person is not the “boss of bosses.” They actually have comparatively little authority to interfere in family feuds or violence. The last known Capo crimine was Domenico Oppedisano, who was arrested in 2010.
During the late 2000s, the most powerful man inside of the enormous ‘Ndrangheta syndicate was Pasquale Condello. He was known as “Il supremo” (the supreme one) inside of the family.
Condello was regarded as a key figure in the world of trafficking cocaine between Colombia and Italy. He also controlled valuable water purifying contracts in some Calabrian towns. In 2008, Condello was arrested by over 100 policemen who converged on an apartment in the district of Occhio di Péllaro, on the outskirts of Reggio Calabria.
Since the ‘Ndrangheta rely on family blood to organize their hierarchical structure, the next person in line to be the supreme leader of the clan was Pasquale’s cousin Domenico Condello. Domenico is currently one of the most wanted men in Italy and has been evading police for years. In 2012, it was announced that a collection of Domenico’s accomplices and family members were arrested for harboring the fugitive. In 2012, Condello remains at large and a major force behind the ‘Ndrangheta management.
