cartels
Market-controlling coalitions
Cartels are groups of independent entities—typically businesses or nations—that collude to control prices, limit competition, or divide markets.
Oil-producing nations form cartels to regulate supply.
Companies form illegal cartels to fix prices: The Justice Department broke up the cartel.
Drug cartels are criminal organizations that control narcotics trafficking, often wielding military-level power: Mexican cartels fighting for territory.
One seller, no substitutes
- price-fixingCoordinated artificial cost-setting
- collusionFraudulent secret cooperation
- antitrustAgainst corporate market dominance
- market manipulationArtificially distorting asset prices
oligopoly · conspiracy · competitors · regulation · enforcement · fines · agreements · suppliers
Illegal distribution of controlled substances
- smugglingIllegal covert transport
- cocaineAddictive stimulant narcotic
- narcosSlang for traffickers
- kingpinCriminal organization's leader
sicario · plaza · turf · violence · assassination · hitmen · laundering · corruption
Combined group pursuing shared interest
- networkInterconnected system
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
- bossWorkplace superior
- capoString-shortening clamp device
faction · alliance · federation · confederation · members · leadership · structure · operations
monopoly
One seller, no substitutes
- price-fixingCoordinated artificial cost-setting
- collusionFraudulent secret cooperation
- antitrustAgainst corporate market dominance
market manipulation · oligopoly · conspiracy · competitors · regulation · enforcement · fines · agreements · suppliers · industry
drug trafficking
Illegal distribution of controlled substances
kingpin · sicario · plaza · turf · violence · assassination · hitmen · laundering · corruption · extortion
syndicate
Combined group pursuing shared interest
capo · faction · alliance · federation · confederation · members · leadership · structure · operations · recruitment
Sinaloa
Mexican state, Pacific coast
Gulf · Juarez · Tijuana · Mexican · Colombian · border · DEA · extradition · narcostate · failed state
- drug enforcementDEA, drug bust, narcotics, drug raid, interdiction
- human traffickinghuman trafficking, trafficking, traffickers, trafficking victims, victims
- Traffickingdrug trafficking, trafficking, trafficker, drug smuggling, smuggling
- groupsteam, teams, group, club, clubs
- capitalismcapitalism, free market, free enterprise, private property, profit motive
- Latin AmericaArgentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Cuba
cartelsfree markets
Commerce without state intervention
perfect competition · competitive markets · open markets · free trade · market competition
- drug cartelCriminal narcotics distribution organization
- Jimmy CarterGeorgia governor turned president
- oil cartelAlliance controlling petroleum markets
- Helena Bonham Carter
- cartel bossCriminal syndicate leader
- cartel leaderHead of criminal syndicate