Organized crime tourism
- This article describes tourist destinations related to organized crime. See crime for advice on the risks of being victim to crime.
Organized crime tourism is a theme within crime and justice tourism, to visit destinations related to gangs and criminal syndicates. In no way does Wikivoyage mean to indicate any approval of organized crime activities. However, many tourist attractions are known for their current or historical ties to organized crime, and this page aims to provide an overview of such destinations.
Famous examples of organized crime syndicates include the Sicilian and Russian mafias, the Japanese yakuza and the Chinese triads (though largely confined to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau these days), and these have been greatly romanticized in numerous films and television series. Intelligence agencies are often alleged to have ties to organized crime syndicates, and this alleged involvement has been the subject of many films and television series.
Destinations
edit| “ | The secret of a great success for which you are at a loss to account is a crime that has never been discovered, because it was properly executed. | ” |
—Honoré de Balzac. At times paraphrased as "Behind every great fortune is a great crime" | ||
The history of organized crime in the United States reflects the diversity of origin of the American people. The first groups to come to prominence include the Irish-American mob and the Italian-American mafia, many of whom were to play huge roles in operating speakeasies (secret bars where alcohol was sold) during the Prohibition era (1920-1933), when the sale and consumption of alcohol was illegal in the United States. The immediate Postwar period would see the rise of street gangs, largely divided along ethnic lines, with greaser gangs in the white ethnic neighborhoods and African-American and Hispanic street gangs elsewhere. The greaser gangs would lose prominence following the exodus of much of the white population to the suburbs as a result of redlining and blockbusting, and much of the inner city streets were taken over by African-American gangs, the most famous perhaps being the Bloods and the Crips. Another type of gang that gained prominence in the Postwar period were the outlaw motorcycle clubs, also known as biker gangs, the most famous of whom are perhaps the Hells Angels. The stereotypical biker gang member is a racist white man who is shaven bald and with a long, unkempt beard. Many offshoots of Latin American gangs like MS13 have also established a presence in the United States.
- Chicago — The second most famous city in the United States for organized crime, with the Italian-American mobster Al Capone perhaps being its most famous gangster in history. The Green Mill is a jazz bar that Al Capone used to frequent, with his booth still in place and available to those who get there early enough. The Green Door Tavern is home to an authentic Prohibition-era speakeasy that was frequented by the Irish-American mobster Dean O'Banion, one of Al Capone's rivals.
- Las Vegas has been closely associated with organized crime and shady casino bosses for decades, and particularly since the start of construction on the Hoover Dam in 1930, which brought an all-male crew to the area, hungry for showgirls. After World War II, Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky of the Jewish mob opened the Flamingo casino, and Allen Dorfman, an associate of corrupt Teamsters' Union boss, Jimmy Hoffa and a member of the Chicago Outfit of mafiosi (see the Chicago entry below) lent money to numerous casinos in the 40s and 50s. The city nowadays cultivates a more family-friendly image, but it can't quite escape its nickname of Sin City.
- New York City — Perhaps the most famous city in the world for organized crime, with the Italian-American mafia historically having a large presence that has been immortalized in the famous film The Godfather.
- Hot Springs (Arkansas) — small mid-America city famous for its bath houses, the town was popular among gangsters (particularly from Chicago) who operated illegal operations during the Prohibition era
- See also: Ned Kelly tourism
- Melbourne — The famous bushranger Ned Kelly was hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol. His armour is on display in the State Library Victoria. Melbourne is also known to be the heart of the Italian mafia in Australia, with the suburb of Fitzroy known for its gang wars in the post World War I period.
Japan is famous for its organized crime syndicates known as the yakuza, and they have been greatly romanticized in numerous local films and television series.
- Osaka — A city popularly associated with the yakuza in Japanese pop culture, to the point that gangsters in Japanese films and televisions series usually speak in the Osaka dialect. The Kamagasaki area is Japan's largest slum, home to a large number of homeless people, and numerous brothels run by the yakuza.
Hong Kong is best known for the triads, Chinese gangs with a clear hierarchical structure and code of conduct, and these have played an important role in Hong Kong cinema (for instance, The Departed, the 2006 Oscar winner for Best Picture, was an Americanised remake of the hit Hong Kong film trilogy Infernal Affairs). The Wan Chai area was the historical hub of the triads in Hong Kong, and during the Vietnam War was full of brothels catering to American soldiers on their R&R leaves. The former Kowloon Walled City was a hotbed of triads up till the 1990s, when it was demolished and the current Kowloon Walled City Park built in its place. The former yamen, which dates back to the Qing Dynasty, has been preserved, and hosts an exhibition of photographs of the walled city.
From the late 20th century through the early 21st century, Colombian drug cartels were notorious for their brazen and very gruesome crimes related to their drug smuggling empires. Netflix documented the rise of the Medellin and Cali cartels in their popular series, Narcos. Medellin dominated the first two seasons of the series, and also headlines around the world for many years as the Colombian government, at the urging (and with the assistance) of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, tried to control the cartel, who responded with a brutal plata o plomo strategy where police, military, and political figures could either accept bribes or be killed.
Colombians refer to tourists coming to see the cartel sites as narcotourism. Citizens of Medellin do not generally appreciate tourists coming to see sights that caused them so much pain, but if you're respectful and very low-key, it is not hard to find a taxi driver who will give you the tour (or will at least take you to places related to Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel). Sights in Medellin might include:
- Jardines Montesacro is the cemetery where Pablo Escobar is buried. You can visit his gravesite, but don't clown around there.
- Lorena is the neighborhood where Pablo Escobar was shot on the rooftops as he tried to flee from police and the DEA (the scene is also immortalized in a painting by Fernando Botero that hangs in the Museo Antioquia downtown).
- Barrio Pablo Escobar is a neighborhood where Escobar was regarded not as a villain, but as a Robin Hood figure who helped support poor kids, building playgrounds and schools with his vast fortune
- Hacienda Napoles is not in Medellin, but might be worth a day trip if you're dying of curiosity, it was Escobar's country playground where he had an airstrip, a private zoo, pools, and all the trappings of endless wealth. Today it operates as an aquatic theme park called Hacienda Napoles, though Escobar's home lies as an abandoned ruin.
- El Catedral is also outside Medellin but may be interesting, it's the prison that Escobar built for himself in a deal with the Colombian government to keep from being extradited to the United States. The "prison" had all the luxuries of home, and then some. It's now a monastery.
In Bogota, you can stay in the Hotel Tequendame, where Pablo Escobar and his family were under house arrest. Hotel staff will not tell you what room Escobar stayed in. In Tulum, Mexico, you can stay in the Casa Malca, a luxury boutique hotel that was Escobar's private beach retreat.
Since the fall of the Cali cartel, Colombian drug cartels have been less flagrant and violent, but have risen and fallen. Two other cartels were the Norte del Valle Cartel (based in the Caucau Valley) and the North Coast Cartel (based in Barranquilla. Narcotourism is not really a thing in either place.
As the fortunes of Colombian cartels declined, Mexican cartels became the most powerful crime organizations. Several cartels have become notorious, and are depicted in various movies and TV series, including the Netflix series, Narcos Mexico. Narcotourism is most openly practiced in the state of Sinaloa, particularly in Mazatlan and Culiacan.
In the resort city of Mazatlan there are several golf cart taxis that would be happy to show you local sights related to Joaquin Guzman ("El Chapo") and his Sinaloa Cartel. A related sight would be to visit Toluca, which is home to the Altiplano maximum-security prison where El Chapo was jailed until the cartel dug a mile-long tunnel under the prison walls, coming up in Guzman's shower. The tunnel was air conditioned and had a motorcycle so Guzman wouldn't have to walk to make his escape. You also might want to visit Culiacan which is home to the Capilla de Jesus Malverde, the patron saint of drug dealers, and Jardines de Humaya, a cemetery where several Sinaloa cartel members are buried in elaborate tombs that have air conditioning and cable TV, perks that a dead drug lord will appreciate in the afterlife.
In the 2020s, the most notorious drug traffickers have been the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas, who are based in the northern state of Tamaulipas near the Tex-Mex border. Looking for their places of business so you can take selfies would be a collossally bad move.
Like Hong Kong, Taiwan is also known for being a hub for the triads, who have featured prominently in the local cinema. Taipei's Wanhua district is popularly associated with the triads due to having featured in the hit 2010 gangster film Monga. The triads are known for throwing fine banquets for their senior members, often featuring beautiful women and expensive sports cars.