The oldest cartel is likely the Gulf Cartel, founded in the 1930s. Alternatively, the Limitation of the Vend, a 18th-century coal mining cartel, may have been the longest-lasting cartel. However, if the question refers to a modern “drug cartel,” the Gulf Cartel is a very early and significant example. 

Oldest Cartel 

• Gulf Cartel: Founded in the 1930s in Matamoros, Mexico, it is considered one of the oldest organized crime groups in Mexico and continues to be active today. 
• Limitation of the Vend: This was a price-fixing combination of English coal mine owners dating back to the 18th century, and may have been the longest-lasting cartel in history. 

Other notable early cartels 

• Medellín Cartel: Founded by Pablo Escobar, it is often cited as the first major Colombian “drug cartel” and was a dominant force in the cocaine trade during the 1980s and 1990s. 
• La Corporación: This was the first cocaine cartel in Bolivia, founded by Roberto Suárez Gómez in the late 1960s. 
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  The title of “oldest cartel” can refer to different organizations depending on the context (e.g., Mexican, Colombian, historical global trade)
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  Mexican Cartel
  The Gulf Cartel is widely considered one of the oldest organized crime groups in Mexico, with its roots tracing back to the 1930s. It was founded by Juan Nepomuceno Guerra and originally focused on smuggling alcohol into the United States during the Prohibition era. After Prohibition ended, the group controlled various other illegal activities and shifted to large-scale drug trafficking in the 1980s. 
  Other Mexican cartels, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Juárez Cartel, are also very old, with origins in the late 1980s or earlier. Many modern cartels, including the Sinaloa and Tijuana cartels, evolved from the disintegration of the Guadalajara Cartel in the late 1980s. 
  
  Historical Definition of “Cartel”
  If the term “cartel” is used in a broader historical sense of a syndicate for trade, some sources describe the British East India Company as the world’s first cartel. This company was involved in the mass trafficking of opium to China in the 19th century, with its founders recognizing the profitable banking opportunities that eventually led to the establishment of institutions like HSBC. 
  
  Italian Organized Crime
  In terms of traditional organized crime syndicates that function similarly to cartels (though often referred to as mafias), the Camorra in the Campania region of Italy has a history extending back to the 18th century, with the first official mention as an organization in 1820 police records.