Synonyms of cartels

cartels

noun

plural of cartel

as in syndicates

a number of businesses or enterprises united for commercial advantage

a cartel of oil-producing nations that controls production and influences prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

• syndicates
• conglomerates
• partnerships
• unions
• associations
• chains
• trusts
• organizations
• multinationals
• combinations
• combines
• megacorporations
• guilds
• pools

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cartels

In Mexico, the cartels have been using drones to attack each other or Mexican law enforcement. — Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Plot summary Set in 1980s West Texas, the film follows Vietnam War veteran Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), who happens upon the bloody aftermath of a desert shoot-out resulting from a drug deal gone wrong between American and Mexican cartels. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026

Trump has repeatedly said Mexico isn’t doing enough against the cartels. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Whistleblowers and workers say these smuggling networks tie to cartels in Twin Cities trades, including roofing, with drug and gun trafficking. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

The January indictment charged Maduro and several associates with participating in a narcoterrorism conspiracy involving Colombian guerrilla organizations, Mexican drug cartels and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua criminal organization. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Trump’s draconian immigration measures have made recent deportees and asylum seekers alike easy targets for extortion, kidnapping, and occasionally recruitment by certain cartels along the US-Mexico border. — Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

There has been serious buzz recently about the film series focused on the United States conducting covert actions against drug cartels. — David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

The best bill would include strong legal guardrails to prevent an organization from becoming anticompetitive or a shield for cartels. — William R. Gruver, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026