gangland
Criminal turf collectively
Gangland refers to the world of organized crime and criminal gangs, or the territory they control.
The word appears most often as an adjective: a gangland slaying, a gangland boss, gangland violence.
It evokes a shadowy underworld with its own rules, hierarchies, and brutal methods of settling disputes.
Sicilian criminal organization
- omertàCriminal vow of silence
- syndicateCombined group pursuing shared interest
- familyRelated people together
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
mobster · don · godfather · consigliere · underboss · capo · boss · code of silence
Authoritative legal ban
- roaring twentiesProsperous 1920s period
- film noirStylish, shadowy crime drama
- crime bossLeader of criminal organization
- kingpinCriminal organization's leader
henchman · goon · thug · muscle · informant · rat · snitch · stool pigeon
Conducting illegal business schemes
- extortionObtaining through threats
- protection racketExtortion through intimidation
- loan sharkingIllegal lending at excessive interest
- bookmakingSetting gambling odds
illegal gambling · money laundering · drug trafficking · bootlegging · smuggling · fencing · contraband · black market
Professional paid murderer
- enforcerOne who ensures compliance
- assassinationMurder of a prominent figure
- shootoutArmed confrontation or tiebreaker
- drive-byAttack from passing vehicle
ambush · retaliation · vendetta · feud · bloodshed · rubout · execution · contract killing
Grass-covered earth surface
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
- districtBounded administrative area
- racketUproar, scam, or paddle
- strongholdFortified place of defense
headquarters · front business · speakeasy · backroom · safe house · hideout · hangout · social club
Cosa Nostra
Sicilian criminal organization
- omertàCriminal vow of silence
- syndicateCombined group pursuing shared interest
- familyRelated people together
clan · mobster · don · godfather · consigliere · underboss · capo · boss · code of silence · made man
prohibition
Authoritative legal ban
- roaring twentiesProsperous 1920s period
- film noirStylish, shadowy crime drama
- crime bossLeader of criminal organization
kingpin · henchman · goon · thug · muscle · informant · rat · snitch · stool pigeon · witness protection
racketeering
Conducting illegal business schemes
- extortionObtaining through threats
- protection racketExtortion through intimidation
- loan sharkingIllegal lending at excessive interest
bookmaking · illegal gambling · money laundering · drug trafficking · bootlegging · smuggling · fencing · contraband · black market · kickback
hitman
Professional paid murderer
- enforcerOne who ensures compliance
- assassinationMurder of a prominent figure
- shootoutArmed confrontation or tiebreaker
drive-by · ambush · retaliation · vendetta · feud · bloodshed · rubout · execution · contract killing · turf war
turf
Grass-covered earth surface
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
- districtBounded administrative area
- racketUproar, scam, or paddle
stronghold · headquarters · front business · speakeasy · backroom · safe house · hideout · hangout · social club · territory
- Mafiamafia, Cosa Nostra, Sicilian Mafia, Five Families, Colombo
- criminalsmurderer, thief, burglar, criminal, killer
- organized crimemafia, mob, the mob, syndicate, crime syndicate
ganglandlaw and order
Governance through enforced rules
gated community · suburbia · quiet streets · family neighborhood · quiet neighborhood
- gangland warfareCriminal organization armed conflict