Before

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, New Orleans gangs tended to be small violent local groups divided among its 17 voting districts known as "wards". NOPD classified these groups as drug organizations or "cliques," with about 10-15 members. The most infamous criminal organizations formed in the city during the turbulent mid-1980s, with the Glenn

Metz Gang The Metz Gang was a notorious drug ring founded by Glenn Metz and his brother Cordell "Jethro" Metz; Glenn Metz is currently serving life in prison. From 1985 to mid–1992, The Metz Gang distributed approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine in ...

, the Sam Clay Organization, Hardy Boys and the Richard Pena Organization being the most notorious. Other drug crews like the Balley Boys and the Hankton Organization were also active during the 1990s. Part of the 2004 "Cycle of Death" series. According to

New Orleans Police Department The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has primary responsibility for law enforcement in New Orleans, Louisiana. The department's jurisdiction covers all of Orleans Parish, while the city is divided into eight police districts. The NOPD has a ...

, gang related homicides spiked in 2007, which drove the city's homicide rate to a record high. Some of the most vicious cliques, like the Dooney Boys and the 9th ward G-Strip Gang, moved to other cities and clashed with each other in violent gun battles. New Orleans drug crews became involved in violent crime and murders and spread throughout the drug trade in host cities & states like

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Biloxi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

, and

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. In 2012, Mayor Mitch Landrieu formed the Multi-Agency Gang (MAG) Unit, which is the key enforcement component of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS). The MAG Unit identifies the most dangerous and influential gang members and removes them from the community.

Post-Katrina

* 39ers Gang, multi-state * 110ers, Lower Garden District *

Byrd Gang The Byrd Gang also known as the Piff Gang, is a criminal organization located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Detectives with New Orleans Police Department's Multi-Agency Gang unit previously described the Byrd Gang as "one of the most murderous gangs ...

, Central City * Joesphine Dog Pound, Central City * Dumaine Street Gang (also known as "D-Block"), Treme * Ride or Die, St. Roch * Taliban Gang, Pigeon Town * Big 8s, St Roch * Wild Side Gangstas, Treme * Ghost Gang, Central City * Young Melf Mafia, Central City * International Robbin Crew (IRC), multi-state (inactive) * Hot Block, Algiers *

FnD Gang FnD gang was a small violent drug organization in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans. The Frenchmen and Derbigny gang, or "FnD," operated from 2006 through 2013. The gang was most notable for the 2013 Mothers Day mass shooting that left 20 people wo ...

, Seventh Ward (inactive) * Deuce Gang Goonies, Iberville (inactive) * PCB, Seventh Ward. * Mob Pirus * Mid City Killers, Mid-City

Pre-Katrina

* Dooney Boys, multi-state * Whitney Boys, Algiers *

D-Block Boys The D-Block Boys, also known as DBG, was an African-American drug ring operating in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana. The gang has been involved in criminal activity including drug trafficking and murder. According to NOPD, The "D-Block Gang" has ...

, Algiers * 3-N-G, Central City (merged with G-Strip) * G-Strip, Ninth Ward (merged with 3-N-G) * Phillip and Clara Crew, Central City (inactive) * Hot Boys, Central City. * Dorgenois and Dumaine Crew (now known as D' Block) * Fischer Fools, Algiers (now known as 150) * Cuthroat Posse, Lower Garden District * Florida Posse, Ninth Ward (inactive) * 7th Ward Hardheads, Seventh Ward (inactive) * Deslonde Boys, Ninth Ward * Bunker Hill Boys, New Orleans East * Porch Boys, Central City (inactive) * Josephine and Danneel Crew, Central City * Cutt Boys, Central City (inactive) * Gotti Boys, Central City (inactive) * CTC, Lower Ninth Ward * Cutoff Posse, Algiers * 11th Ward Hustlers, Irish Channel * Gertown Hounds, Gertown * Eagle Street Crew, Hollygrove * Melph Mafia, Central City

References

* https://www.nola.com/news/article_0c820a69-b7a0-52ca-982c-781132011480.html Retrieved Aug 14 2009 * https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_06f42396-4b4d-5042-985b-8d5f8d106504.html {{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324033755/https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_06f42396-4b4d-5042-985b-8d5f8d106504.html , date=2022-03-24 Nola.com. New Orleans gangs

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

gangs A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...