The Nuestra family bears many striking similarities to the Mexican Mafia about the type of criminal activities that both groups engage in; however, there are also a considerable number of differences. One of the differences is in the organizational structure of Nuestra as compared to the Mexican Mafia.
The Nuestra family can be considered as a single organization with a loose hierarchical system in place which acts as how the “family” is led and controlled. This type of organizational structure bears a close similarity to the Italian mafia and the different “families” that composed the various gangs within Little Italy during the heyday of Italian led crime syndicates within the U.S. However, the main difference is that the leadership structure is not isolated to people of pure descent of a particular race, instead, it can be changed based on deaths, internal power struggles and an assortment of other organizational changes.
In comparison, the Mexican Mafia can be described as an entity that is comprised of 13 different Mexican affiliated gangs in what can be deemed as a loose alliance of common interest. This alliance was created not only as a means of defense, but also a method by which trade in drugs and other illicit substances can be conducted.
Within the context of shared responsibility and economic prosperity, the various groups within the Mexican Mafia act as liaisons and partners to each other when it comes to the illegal drug trade within the U.S. In some cases, one group acts as the supplier while the other acts as the distributor or vice versa, this results in a far greater level of market penetration as compared to what would happen if both groups worked individually or against each other.
In other instances, a group such as MS-13 acts as the “muscle” so to speak and helps in keeping rival gangs from interfering with the operations of the different mafia gangs. The result is that the groups associated with the Mexican Mafia profit from an economic alliance that centers on the distribution of illegal goods.
This particular means of affiliation, distribution, and protection differs from the structure utilized by the Nuestra family wherein protection, and distribution is often conducted by the same “teams” so to speak within the family. Aside from this, both groups also have different internal cultures and codes of conduct when it comes to interacting with different members of the group (Allender, 2003).
For instance, the Mexican Mafia focuses on a strict code of conduct when it comes to internal associations, interactions, and how members settle disputes (Allender, 2003). They follow the rules that they developed very strictly, despite their loose affiliation with each other. In the case of the Nuestra family, disputes, interactions, and other similar activities are far less informal and more “familial” with a far more haphazard form of conduct that is often influenced by the current head of the family (Allender, 2003).
The concept of there being a “family head” is also one of the differences between the two types of organizations. While there are individual leaders of the 13 groups within the Mexican Mafia, there is no de facto leader of the entire organization. Decisions are often the result of councils. In comparison, there can be a leader of the entire organization when it comes to the Nuestra family (Allender, 2003). It should be noted though that when it comes to criminal activity, brutal murders and other similar types of adverse social behavior, both have considerable similarities.
Reference List
Allender, D. (2003). Career Criminals, Security Threat Groups, and Prison Gangs. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 72(6), 8.