The Most Dangerous Motorcycle Clubs In The World
Even though outlaw motorcycle gangs only make up 1% of all the motorcycle clubs in the U.S., according to the Department of Justice there are currently more than 300 active outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) operating in 2021.
Some are just small groups — single chapters with a handful of members. The bigger gangs though, like the aptly named Outlaws — considered one of the most dangerous OMGs in the world — have expanded from where they dominate in the Great Lakes region to 176 chapters throughout the U.S. and 12 more on foreign soil, according to the Department of Justice. Their members number into the 1,700s.
The DOJ alleges that the Outlaws are deeply involved in drug production and trafficking, particularly with meth, but also cocaine and marijuana. Their members are suspected of or have been convicted of "arson, assault, explosives, extortion, fraud, homicide, intimidation, kidnapping, money laundering, prostitution, robbery, theft and weapons violations," per the DOJ.
But they're not alone in those undertakings. According to the Department of Justice, "The Hells Angels, Mongols, Bandidos, Outlaws, and Sons of Silence pose a serious national domestic threat and conduct the majority of criminal activity linked to OMGs, especially activity relating to drug-trafficking and, more specifically, to cross-border drug smuggling."
Since these guys are often in the same business, they also develop rivalries which can lead to full-blown battles in parking lots, as was the case in 2015.
The most dangerous motorcycle clubs are also a danger to rival groups
The Hells Angels have been around since 1950 after a group splintered from an MC called the "Pissed Off Bastards of Bloomington" and revamped themselves the Hells Angels, named for a World War II bomber, according to The State of California's Department of Justice Bureau of Organized Crime and Criminal Intelligence. Since then, the motorcycle club has evolved into an alleged 2,500-member international criminal enterprise involved in all manner of crime ranging from drug trafficking to murder, per Complex.
According to the Hells Angels website, the club now spans five continents and 59 countries.
The Mongols, an MC that has been around for 47 years, according to its website, notes that they have been "under Federal Indictment for nine years." Besides the usual drug trafficking, the gang is known to use intimidation, assault, and murder to defend their claimed territories in Southern California, which they seized from the Hells Angels in the 1980s, per the DOJ.
The Mongols are allies with the highly dangerous Bandidos, the Pagans, and the Sons of Silence against the Hells Angels, adds the DOJ.
The gang is mostly comprised of "Hispanic males," many with a history of being members of street gangs. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco has said the Mongols are "the most violent and dangerous OMG in the nation," per the DOJ.
There is plenty of crime for all the motorcycle clubs
The Bandidos are also allegedly involved in myriad criminal activities. In 2018, the former Bandidos national vice president was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of "directing, sanctioning, approving and permitting members of the Bandidos to commit murder, attempted murder, robbery, assault, intimidation, extortion, and drug trafficking," according to the DOJ.
In 2021, another member of the Bandidos was convicted of smuggling up to 100 "undocumented aliens."
The Sons of Silence are the fifth organized motorcycle gang that the U.S. Department of Justice names as one of the most dangerous. Per the DOJ, it is among the largest in the U.S., with 30 chapters in 12 states and five chapters in Germany.
The DOJ reports members of the SOSMC have allegedly "been implicated in numerous criminal activities including murder, assault, drug trafficking, intimidation, extortion, prostitution operations, money laundering, weapons trafficking and motorcycle and motorcycle parts theft."
Finally, the Pagans get an honorable mention as an MC that's among one of the most violent gangs in the mid-Atlantic region. With about 200 to 250 members in 11 states, according to the DOJ, the gang is known to be affiliated with traditional organized crime groups and are known for such crimes as murder, assault, extortion, murder, and bombings along with the distribution of cocaine, meth, marijuana, and PCP.