There is no exact number of “mafias” in Texas, as organized crime is dominated by an estimated 100,000+ members across hundreds of prison gangs, street gangs, and transnational cartels. Law enforcement categorizes them into tiered security threat groups, rather than the traditional Italian mob. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The primary organized crime groups operating in the state include:

Tier 1 Gangs

These are the most powerful and dangerous gangs in Texas, known for their close ties to Mexican drug cartels. [1, 2]

• Tango Blast: The largest network in Texas, with an estimated \(25,000\) members. It is composed of autonomous regional cliques (e.g., Houstone, D-Town from Dallas, Capirucha from Austin) heavily involved in narcotics and human trafficking. [1, 2, 3]
• Texas Mexican Mafia (Mexikanemi): Highly structured, with thousands of members statewide. They act as primary enforcers and distributors for cartels inside and outside of prisons. [1, 2]
• Texas Syndicate: One of the oldest homegrown prison gangs in Texas. They operate both inside Texas prisons and on the streets, with around \(1,300\) documented members. [1, 2]
• Barrio Azteca: A heavily armed gang highly active in West Texas (especially El Paso) and the border region. [1, 2, 3]

Transnational Cartels

While technically foreign-based, Mexican cartels control the drug and human smuggling routes spanning across Texas. The most prominent cartels in the region include: [1]

• Sinaloa Cartel
• Gulf Cartel
• Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)
• Juárez Cartel
• Los Zetas [1]

Other Notable Groups

• Latin Kings: A large national street gang with a strong established presence across Texas cities. [1, 2]
• Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) / Aryan Circle: Major white supremacist prison/street gangs heavily involved in narcotics distribution and violent crime. [1, 2]
• Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13): Concentrated in specific urban centers like Houston, known for high levels of violence relative to their smaller membership size. [1, 2]

For the complete law enforcement breakdown, you can review the official Texas Gang Threat Assessmentpublished by the Department of Public Safety. [1, 2]