American Gangster is the story of Frank Lucas and Leroy "Nicky" Barnes - their rise from street punks to the top of New York's 1970's high-flying drug market. The two men were considered the drug czars of Harlem at the height of the drug-fueled decade. Lucas and his gang "The Country Boys" claim to have smuggled heroin from Asia in the caskets of fallen American soldiers. Barnes, the leader of a cartel of African-American drug dealers called "The Council," made the cover of New York Times Magazine. The headline read "Mr. Untouchable." President Carter was so incensed, he personally ordered the Attorney General to go after him. The story is a violent, action-filled chronicle of Harlem and its kingpins.

In 2003, the body of a pregnant, teenaged informant was found along the banks of the bucolic Shenandoah River. She'd been repeatedly stabbed - her head nearly severed. Brenda Paz had been supplying the authorities with first-hand accounts of MS-13's operations. Paz had been one of 3,000 MS-13 members in the Washington, DC area. The increasingly violent and fast-growing gang operates from the sleepy, middle-class suburbs ringing the city.

Five bodies, riddled with bullets, found in a small apartment on the East Side of Los Angeles. Among the dead are a five-year-old boy and an infant girl, each shot in the head and chest. The mother and father of the children lay beside them on the floor, also soaked in blood. The target of the hit was the family's patriarch, Anthony "Dido" Moreno. He had dropped out of one of California's most notorious prison gangs and this was his payback. No witnesses, was the order. The gang he deserted was the Mexican Mafia. Since it's inception in the 1950's the "Black Hand" has been the prison system's most active shot-callers, controlling thousands of "foot soldiers" on the streets of Southern California. Most laws enforcement officials estimate that 300 homicides per year in LA County have some connection to the Mexican Mafia.

The Hells Angels are the most powerful and well-known biker club on the planet, boasting over 2500 members worldwide. In April 2002, a riot in a Nevada casino between the Hells Angels and their rivals, the Mongols, kills three gang members and creates headlines around the country. Federal authorities seize the opportunity and send a team of undercover agents to infiltrate the outlaw biker group. Along the way, they uncover a world of sex, rampant drug use, and vicious violence - employed to ensure the Hells Angel's place at the top of the biker world.

Home to 900 street gangs and over 80,000 gang members, the city of Los Angeles has the dubious title of "Gang Capital of the World." Territory means power and every gang in LA wants to expand their neighborhood boundaries by any means necessary. Since the 1990's, an ugly new development has surfaced in the gang wars of LA: Gangs are dividing by race. In neighborhoods such as Harbor Gateway, Highland Park, and Firestone, Hispanic gang members are targeting black civilians in an attempt to keep their territory free of the rival race.

Graffiti reading: "Terror Town," "Cold Stone Soldier" and "Stones Run It" litters Chicago's Southside neighborhoods. It's the work of BPS, Chicago's second largest street gang. The gang has a long and colorful history with their founder - Jeff Fort - convicted in 1987 of plotting to carry out terrorist acts against the US government with the support of Libyan government. The FBI classified the group as a "terrorist threat," in the wake of 9/11.

Called the "shock troops" of the revolution, Skinheads form a particularly brutal element of the white supremacist movement. Violent hate-crimes are their method of intimidation and a preview of the race war they see as inevitable. It's a culture driven by the violent lyrics of racist rock, and fueled by hate.

Gangs have been in existence for as long as there have been humans. Daryl Gates, former Los Angeles Chief of Police suggests that there is something about human nature that draws many toward gangs-- the need for respect, security and acceptance. It makes little difference whether the country is totalitarian or democratic, whether the time is feudal or current.

Nuestra Familia. As the predominant Hispanic gang in Northern California, Nuestra Familia, or NF is primarily a prison gang. Compared to other prison gangs, NF's numbers on the inside are relatively small, yet they distinguish themselves through discipline and fear. They have adopted the battle cry "blood in, blood out," and made their rules official, scribing a 50-page constitution laying out their bylaws. Among them, "an automatic death sentence will be put on family member that turns traitor, coward or deserter. " NF also have tens of thousands of loyal followers on the streets known as Nortenos or Northerners. The main rival of NF has always been the Mexican Mafia, with their followers being the Surenos or Southerners.

"Basic Training" takes an inside look at the infiltration of street gangs into the United States military. Gang members in uniform are participating in serious criminal activity on or near U.S. military installations around the world. Our national security may be at risk as these gang members steal advanced weaponry, learn military tactics, distribute drugs and even commit murder.

During the late 1990's, the New York Metropolitan area was plagued by the random violence of a new breed of street gang: The United Blood Nation. Created in 1993 by Rikers Island inmate, Omar Portee, the UBN emulated the Bloods street gang on the West Coast, but was more randomly violent. Portee formed the UBN in an effort to unite the African-American prisoners against Hispanic gangs like the Latin Kings. Better known as "OG Mack," Portee led the UBN from behind prison walls, and eventually on the streets of New York. By the mid 1990's, like an epidemic, the Bloods had taken over the tri-state area, which had historically belonged to the Latin Kings. By the year 2000, the Bloods were the most violent gang on the East Coast- and OG-Mack became known as the Godfather of the East Coast Bloods.

Gangland takes a look at the Drugs and Prostitution rackets run by MS-13.

Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow is a survivor in the gangland of San Francisco's Chinatown. In 1976, the 16-year-old moved to San Francisco with his family and quickly joined the Hop Sing Boys gang. On September 4, 1977, he was at the Golden Dragon restaurant when 3 Joe Boys gang members killed 5 innocent patrons after storming the popular restaurant looking for revenge against their rivals, the Wah Ching. The attack made international news and forever changed the landscape of Chinatown's underworld. In the ensuing years, and after two stays in California's prisons, Chow's power and influence was on the rise. In 1989, he partnered with Peter Chong, a leader of the Wo Hop To triad, to first consolidate all the gangs in San Francisco's Chinatown and then expand their criminal empire nationally. Although federal and local law enforcement would bring the group down, Chow would eventually end up back on the streets of San Francisco after testifying against his former friend and partner. Raymond Chow says he is now a changed man, but only time will tell if he's given up the life of a gangster.

History explores that world of La Gran Familia (LGF), a violent crime syndicate of five Hispanic gangs that terrorized the streets of metro Atlanta. Through interviews with gang members, law enforcement officials, and a confidential informant, this episode reveals the life, history, and current state of Atlanta's most notorious gang, LGF.

The Tiny Rascal Gangsters, also known as the Tiny Rascal Gang or Tiny Rascals, was created in California during the middle 1980's. It was formed by Cambodian youth gang members and is presently considered the largest Asian Street gang in the United States.

One of Chicago’s most ruthless street gangs, Satan Disciples claim to practice “free enterprise.” High-ranking members describe the rise and fall of “King Aggie,” who ordered a hit on a popular younger leader that ultimately spelled his own doom.

Los Solidos are Hartford, Connecticut’s most ruthless gang. We hear about the gang’s rise and the vicious war with their powerful rivals, the Latin Kings.

Salt Lake City is home to the Latter-day Saints (LDS) Crips, a gang that may look different from the Los Angeles original but is no less violent.

Former members of the Bandidos take us inside the most feared motorcycle gang in Texas. Insiders discuss the gang’s crimes and what is required to earn the famous “No Mercy” patch.

Cloaked in secrecy and bound by their Hmong ancestry, Menace of Destruction is one of America’s most notorious and violent street gangs. The gang has turned the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul into a battleground.

The domain of FSU – which can mean either Friends Stand United or F**k S**t Up – is the hardcore music scene. We interview founding members as well as law enforcement officials to uncover the gang’s bloody history.

We trace the growth of the Warlocks motorcycle gang, founded by Vietnam vets, from the assassination of its president to their attempt to claim Florida as the “Warlock Nation."

The good times roll in New Orleans’ French Quarter, but a vicious gang known as the Gotti Boys rule the streets around it – and there is no mercy for those caught in the crossfire.

Comprised of elite mercenaries, Los Zetas are bathing the U.S.-Mexican border in blood as they wage all-out war to maintain control over the valuable drug-trafficking corridor out of Laredo, Texas.

Zoe Pound is Miami’s most notorious Haitian gang, with a history of brutal tactics – from violent home invasions to attacking Haitian freighters and beating and torturing their crews.