Drug Trafficking Organizations

Definition/Scope: Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO) can also be known as drug cartels. DTO’s are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. Their main goal is financial gain. DTO’s are numerous and range from small, loosely knit groups that distribute one or more drugs at the retail level to complex, international organizations with highly defined command and control structures that produce, transport, and distribute large quantities of one or more illicit drugs.

Acronym:

DTO

Broader Terms:

border patrol
counterterrorism
customs
Drug Enforcement Administration
kidnapping
National Drug Control Strategy
National Guard
trafficking

Narrower Terms:

drug cartel
Federation cartel
Gulf cartel
Juarez cartel
Los Zetas
Sinaloa Cartel
Tijuana cartel

Related Terms:

Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia
Central Intelligence Agency
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Justice
drug cartel
Federal Bureau of Investigation
National Drug Intelligence Center
Osiel Cardenas-Guillen
Sinaloa Cartel
Tijuana cartel
United Self Defense Forces of Colombia