TKJ, I do agree with your overall assessment. However, when I made my statement I was not referring to organizations like Colombian or Mexican drug cartels, or Chinese Triads, Japanese Yakuza, etc. These particular criminal "organizations" are extremely sophisticated and "capable" as the phrase goes.

I was referring more to "gangbangers" and hispanic street gangs like MS-13, SWP (Salvadorans With Pride), and The Crips, The Bloods, etc.

Because although each of them are "in fact" very large, far-flung groups or gangs living and operating across the U.S., and although they obviously do generate large revenue from mostly "street sales" of drugs and other low-level street crimes, as you said they are no where near the level of sophistication nor do they exhibit the "finesse" of LCN or even those other groups I mentioned.

I've lived near and interacted with numerous members of these types of gangs in NYC over the years, and I can tell you firsthand that for the most part, these guys are generally nothing but street urchins. Many (the vast majority of them in fact) are druggies and ghetto kids who have no real concept of what's truly going on. They "exist" in their little world of gun point robberies, selling bags of dope locally, and conducting other nonsense types of activities like in-fighting and personal battles among others of their ilk.

Are they dangerous? Can they be deadly? Absolutely. But thats because of their wanton disregard for life in general, their own dead-end lives in particular, and everything in between. That can be said about many "street" criminals.

But the difference between the Italian Mafia, Colombian drug cartels, Yakuza, in comparison to a MS-13 or Bloods gang is like night and day...You cannot really compare them.