Gangs and Identifiers

Gangs and Identifiers#

Reference of authoritative public sources for organized-crime and gang information, plus a brief overview of identifier categories (tattoos, hand signs, colors, monikers) that investigators use.

This page does not enumerate gang members or operate as a dossier. The authoritative sources below are the primary references, law-enforcement databases, peer-reviewed academic work, court filings, and NGO research. Use them rather than aggregating identifying information here.

Authoritative databases#

Source

Notes

NGIC (FBI)

National Gang Intelligence Center; produces the National Gang Threat Assessment (last public 2015; updates restricted).

GangNET

Multi-state law-enforcement gang-tracking system; access restricted to vetted agencies.

CalGang

California’s state-level gang database; subject to ongoing state-audit + reform.

RICO indictments

US Federal racketeering cases; PACER filings are public.

DOJ ICITAP

International criminal investigative training; foreign-gang intelligence partnerships.

DEA NDIC reports

US national drug-threat assessments; gang-related.

NCA SOC Strategy

UK National Crime Agency Serious & Organized Crime Strategy + Gangs Matrix (Met Police; under reform).

Europol SOCTA

EU Serious Organized Crime Threat Assessment (annual).

INTERPOL Project

Specific gang-focused initiatives (e.g. Project Pacific on

Pacific

transnational gangs).

United Nations

UNODC (Office on Drugs and Crime) Transnational Organized

ODC reports

Crime Threat Assessments; per-region.

INSIGHT Crime

NGO; Latin America focus; investigative journalism + analysis.

InSight Crime

Detailed transnational gang profiles (Latin America, Caribbean).

Small Arms Survey

Gang-related arms-flow analysis.

Identifier categories (overview)#

Investigators classify gang identifiers into a small set of categories. Specific designs vary widely by region, set, and generation; cross-reference with regional law-enforcement specialists rather than relying on generic charts.

Category

Notes

Tattoos

The most-studied identifier class. Subjects: - Set / clique markers, specific designs declaring formal membership of a named set. - Earned markers, denoting acts (often violent) within the gang. - Iconography, shared symbols (numerology, religious, animal, weapon, location) varying by gang. - Cover-ups / rejections, ex-member tattoos altered or scarred. Authoritative work: Phil Valentine, Gang Investigator’s Handbook; FBI NGIC publications; academic criminology literature.

Hand signs

Gestures formalised by larger sets; sub-vocabulary varies by region. Documented in NGIC training materials and academic case studies.

Colors / clothing

Set-affiliation indicators (bandanas, sneakers, flags); varies per region and generation.

Monikers / aliases

Street names; correlated to tattoos and online handles.

Graffiti

Territorial marking; set / clique tags + counts.

Music / media

Drill, gangsta rap, regional sub-genres, often signal affiliation; UK Drill / Chicago Drill / Atlanta Trap have distinct lineages.

Vehicle markers

Specific colors, decals, license plate framing.

Locations

Set turf; barbershops / clubs / corners.

Online presence

Instagram / TikTok / Telegram / regional alt-platforms; monikers + hand signs + colors porting from physical markers.

Major regions / typology#

Region

Typology (overview)

North America

Bloods, Crips, MS-13, 18th Street, Latin Kings, Vice Lords, Gangster Disciples, Hells Angels, Outlaws, Mongols, Aryan Brotherhood, Surenos, Nortenos, Black Disciples, Trinitarios, etc.

Latin America

MS-13 (transnational), Barrio 18, PCC, Comando Vermelho, ADA (Brazil), Sinaloa, CJNG, Familia Michoacana, Zetas (Mexico cartels); pandillas in Central America; maras; Tren de Aragua (Venezuela / regional).

United Kingdom

County Lines distribution networks; regional sets (London, Manchester, Birmingham); Yardies historically.

Europe

Italian Mafia (Cosa Nostra, ‘Ndrangheta, Camorra, SCU); Albanian, Russian, Chechen, Serbian organized crime; Mocro Maffia (Netherlands); Hells Angels Europe.

Asia

Yakuza (JP); Triads (HK / TW / mainland CN); Indian crime syndicates (D-Company); Yamaguchi-gumi factions.

Africa

Numbers Gangs (ZA prison gangs 26/27/28); Boko Haram / Al-Shabaab (terror-criminal hybrid); regional clans.

Russia / FSU

Vor v Zakone (thieves-in-law); Bratva networks.

Australia

Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCGs).

Operator / investigator notes#

  • Verification > collection, generic gang-identifier charts misidentify civilians who happen to share the iconography (religious tattoos, common letters, sports paraphernalia). Verify against multiple, current, region-specific sources.

  • Gang-database listings have civil-rights implications, CalGang and the Met Gangs Matrix have been audited / reformed for racially disparate listings. Verify before relying on designations.

  • Designations differ by jurisdiction, a “criminal organization” in one country is a “street gang” in another; legal frameworks (RICO US, POCA UK, Mafia Italy) differ.

  • Online indicators move fast, platform migration after bans (Instagram → Telegram → regional alt-platforms) is routine; OSINT must keep up.

  • Cross-reference with intelligence, where lawful and in-scope, formal cooperation with NGIC / Europol / INTERPOL is preferred to raw OSINT.

  • Authorization, collection on individuals requires a legal basis. Many gang-related platforms are governed by privacy law as well as police investigative powers.

Academic / NGO resources#

Source

Notes

National Gang Center

Public clearinghouse on gang research (US, NIJ-supported).

NIJ Gang Research

US National Institute of Justice; peer-reviewed studies.

Eurogang Network

Academic comparative gang research.

InSight Crime

Latin America investigative journalism + analysis.

GANGSTA’s Lab

Academic collective; methodologies for gang research.

Small Arms Survey

Arms-related transnational organized crime.

United Nations ODC

Office on Drugs and Crime publications.

Strategic Forecasting

Stratfor, RUSI, RAND papers on transnational organized crime.

References#

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