ABSTRACT
The problem of organized crime in the United States is nothing new. In fact, it has been an American phenomenon for close to 100 years. The drug trade, however, has reshaped organized crime by creating new, violent, and more sophisticated criminal groups. Although these groups frequently clash with one another, increasingly more of them are learning to work together, as they did during Prohibition, to maximize profits and minimize their risk of detection. This chapter examines some of the largest and most active organized crime groups in the domestic illicit drug trade.
