also i try my best to figure out which gangs are allied with mafia, HA, cartels etc. these gangs would by said alliances hold the balance of power amongst all the other gangs. i think back to THE WIRE, where the gangs that were closest to 'the connect' for good drugs were those with the power. for those gangs in the drug trade this has to be the case, but as the arrests and headlines show some of these sets are involved in a wide variety of crimes and do not necessarily need the benefit of a higher level protector.