John Gotti was the last of the classic gangsters in New York City; unlike other mafia chiefs, he loved attention; he ran a multi-million dollar illegal operation that thrived on prostitution, extortion, gambling, theft and drugs.

Ludwig Tarzan Fainberg was a middleman between the Russian Mafiya and the Medellin Cartel in Colombia, selling Cold War vessels.

Albanian immigrant Alex Rudaj muscle in on Italian Mafia territory and turned his gang into a sixth family of organized crime.

This episode explores the gangland matriarch Maria "Chata" Leon and the criminal underworld created by her murderous brood of gangbanger children. Leaders of the Drew Street Clique of the Avenues Gang, this family ruled a small pocket of Los Angeles for decades. By way of slinging crack cocaine and methamphetamine Maria Leon accrued a great amount of wealth but her status in the hood dwarfed any financial gain she could earn. With an air of invincibility, Maria Leon commanded a reign of terror in L.A. only to be brought to justice by vast federal RICO indictments and multiple military style police invasions into her neighborhood. Maria now awaits her third deportation in federal prison in California.

The patriarchs of the Black Mafia Family controlled one of the largest cocaine distribution gangs.

This episode of features the case of 'Q', the Motor City connect. In the shadows of a broken city, Quasand Lewis made millions by way of a complex drug trafficking organization. At the height of 'Q's success in Detroit the Lewis Organization raked in $178 million in drug profits. Following the drugs and the money, the federal government launched "Operation Falling Star" in order to take down 'Q' and build the largest drug related prosecution in the history of the state of Michigan.

The Johnston Gang was a family affair, consisting of Bruce Johnston Sr. and his brothers David and Norman Johnston; the gang terrorized the Mason-Dixon Line throughout the 1970s, burglarizing and intimidating victims.

An in-depth look at Cheng Chui Ping, the woman who was involved in human trafficking for over 20 years.

The Harvey Hustlers, a notorious gang, dominates the streets of Harvey, La., for three decades; the gang holds a virtual monopoly over the illegal drug trade in the area and is believed to be responsible for at least 45 homicides.

An in-depth look at the leader of a sex trafficking enterprise, Rances Ulices Amaya and how his victims fought back.

How James Spencer Springette went from selling juice to tourists to distributing cocaine.

This episode focuses on the gangster of suburbia who led a double life, Alejandro Corredor. He seemed like an average family man living in the small town of Fairway, Kansas. But in his other life, he was Kansas City's cocaine pipeline, moving massive shipments from Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel. With the money from drugs, he invested in a local gangsta rap group called Block Life. Eventually, several members of Block Life helped him sell drugs to some of the most notorious gangs in Kansas City. As the money from drugs and the success of Block Life grew, Alejandro strove to keep a balance between his two worlds. But his dealings with the Sinaloa Cartel led him down a dangerous path that would threaten to destroy everything.

Tied as a boy to Mr. Untouchable, heroin kingpin Nicky Barnes, Pistol Pete came up in the game, growing up in the Soundview projects of the Bronx. In the mist of the 1980s crack epidemic, Pistol Pete earned his nickname after starting his own gang--Sex, Money, Murder. He and his underlings incorporated the organization in an effort to launder the drug money and expanded their operations outside New York. Pistol Pete would ultimately confess to pulling the trigger on many of his rivals, but justice wouldn't stop his killer reputation. Once behind bars he continued to orchestrate murders. At the age of 25, in order to avoid the death penalty, he accepted a plea bargain of life behind bars in solitary confinement.

Richard Kuklinski, one of the most notorious killers in American history, becomes convicted of the murders of four people, but likely killed dozens more; initially a hit man for the Mafia, Kuklinski eventually carries out hits of his own.

Profiling Kaboni Savage, a ruthless drug dealer and murderer; Savage commits murder to protect his interests, even against his rivals' families; Savage's own words ultimately seal his fate.

The case of Bronx gangster Clarence Heatley is examined in the second-season premiere.

In 1986 Detroit, Demetrius Holloway rose to become one of Detroit's most notorious drug kingpins.

Moya and his chief enforcer, Andre Paige, led a deadly narcotics and extortion racket in New York City until the law caught up with them. With a failing heart, Moya escaped conviction and was sent home to die. Authorities would soon discover that he had received a new heart on the taxpayer's dime. With a new lease on life, Moya would disappear without a trace and stir up a manhunt beyond the jurisdiction of the United States.

This episode features Dana Bostic and his Chicago gang, The New Breeds. Bostic, known as "Bird," came of age on Chicago's tough west side. He grew up slinging drugs on the corner and ended up a heroin kingpin in his hometown. With a connection to a Mexican cartel, Bostic's New Breeds would package and distribute heroin and defend their turf with violence. When the body count started to rise, Bird and the New Breeds were taken down. They are all serving significant sentences in prison.

Following a deadly brawl between the Hells Angels and Mongols Motorcycle Clubs in 2002, Cavazos came to national prominence. During his reign as the Mongols' president, he expanded the club's membership by recruiting local street thugs with affiliations to the Mexican Mafia. Federal agents say Doc's aim was to take on the Hells Angels and run a massive criminal enterprise engaged in drug running, murder and intimidation. But Doc's power grab came with consequences. During his time in charge, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives infiltrated the club and piled on the evidence for a federal racketeering indictment. Many Mongols say Cavazos' hunger for fame would be his ultimate downfall and drive him to turn on his brothers.

Mills found his calling as the leader of the white supremacist prison gang the Aryan Brotherhood. Over the course of almost two decades, federal prosecutors say Mills is responsible for at least 14 murders even though he has been in prison most of his life. In 1997, Mills and his right hand-man, Tyler Bingham, ordered their members to carry out a race war against rival prison gang, the D.C. Blacks. Immediately after the war, A.B. high-ranking member, Al Benton, provided the big break in the case when he left the A.B. behind and cooperated with the federal government. Armed with plenty of informants, prosecutors had the tools they needed to charge Mills and 39 others in one of the largest capital punishment cases in U.S. history.

By connecting the Mexican and Colombian drug cartels, Juan Ramon Ballesteros became one of the most powerful drug lords south of the border.

In her early 20s, Thelma met her husband, Jackie Wright, a major player in the Philadelphia drug game. When her husband was murdered, Thelma was faced with a choice: start life over on the straight and narrow or take over the family business. With a taste of success and the lure of easy money, she started transporting cocaine and heroin between Los Angeles and Philadelphia. But life in the game was not what she bargained for.

This episode features Carlos Lehder, Medellin Cartel member and self-proclaimed Nazi. Lehder revolutionized the cocaine business by taking over an island in the Bahamas and using it as a way station between Colombia and the U.S. On Norman's Cay, the Colombian Rambo meets his match in a professor and diving enthusiast named Richard Novak who will stop at nothing to protect his paradise. Lehder is eventually run off the island and resorts to terrorizing authorities in his homeland to stay out of jail. After years on the run, he's extradited to the U.S. and sentenced to life plus 135 years. When he agrees to testify against Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega, he disappears into witness protection.

This episode follows the story of Salvador Magluta and Augusto Falcon, a pair of powerboat racers in Miami who allegedly moved more illegal narcotics than just about anyone in the history of the U.S. War on Drugs. Known as Willy and Sal, they were tried for importing more than 2.1 billion tons of cocaine over more than a decade of trafficking. They were acquitted, but then faced charges of jury tampering. The law finally caught up with Willy and Sal. Falcon plead guilty to obstructing justice and received a 20 year sentence while Sal faced a jury and is now serving 195 years in prison.