Transnational Gangs

Street gangs are rapidly evolving, becoming regional, national, and even international in terms of criminal operations. This globalization of gang-related criminal activity has been facilitated by improved technology, advancements in telecommunications, and increased mobility due to a vast and ever growing network of interstate highways and transatlantic airline flights. As a result, what once were neighborhood criminal gangs are now more organized gangs conducting criminal operations in multiple cities, states, and foreign countries. Some have evolved into transnational gangs that routinely conduct criminal activity that is planned in one country but executed in another country. After reviewing varying definitions and classifications of gangs, this entry focuses on the psychological control of gangs and the transformation of street gangs into transnational gangs.