3 Biggest Dons From All Around the World

Al Capone

Born on January 17, 1899 Al Capone was greatest and most notorious American mafia don.”Capones” dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor and other illegal activities, was the group he founded and led from early 20s to 1931. He was born in an ordinary family, his father was a barber in Italy and mother was seamstress.

At the age of 14 he dropped out of school and started working at a candy store.Capone was influenced by gangster Johnny Torriom, whom he came to regard as a mentor. Capone started his criminal career with smaller gangs like “The Junior Forty Theives” , “Brooklyn Rippers” and then joined the notorious “Five Points Gang”.

He was nicknamed “Scarface” and “Snorky” by his close friends. Capone’s way to criminal glory started when Torrio his Five Points Gang mentor got seriously injured in an assassination attempt by rival gang. Shaken by the incident Torrio turned over his business to Capone. Under Capone Gang made a lot of money ,estimated $100 million per year through all the illegal activities including gambling and prostitution and illegal sale of liquor.With this money Capone’s grip on the political and law-enforcement establishments in Chicago grew stronger. He soon established a headquarters at Chicago’s Lexington Hotel. This was soon nicknamed “Capone’s Castle”.

In short Capone was strongest Mafia don having penetration in government including judges, police officers and personals in other law enforcement agencies.He was sentenced to federal prison, including a stay at the infamous Alcatraz federal prison, for tax evasion. After his release in 1939 he faced cardiac problems and died in 1947 died of cardiac arrest.




Semion Yudkovich Mogilevich Russian Don

Known as Boss of Bosses, he is most well known figure in Russian mafia history.Born in a middle class family ,started his criminal career from Lyuberetskaya crime group he lead most colourful and picaresque criminal careers of modern times – involving money-laundering, trading in drugs, prostitution, smuggling uranium and stolen icons, and international banking fraud.



In the 1980s Mogilevich allegedly bought up the properties of Russian Jews emigrating to Israel, promising to send on the funds. The money, however, never arrived. He lived and worked in Britain, the US and Canada. In the 1990s he apparently transferred the base of his criminal operations to Hungary. Here, Mogilevich was allegedly involved in a network of prostitution and smuggling, living in a fortified villa outside Budapest.

His syndicate was also allegedly involved in trading art and antiques taken from museums and churches across the former Soviet bloc. He apparently even bought a factory producing anti-aircraft guns. Much of his money was allegedly laundered via London. In 1995 the British authorities closed down his UK operation – describing him in one classified report as “one of the world’s top criminals”, with an estimated £50m fortune. Mogilevich’s most sophisticated alleged fraud took place in Russia in 1994 when he took control of Inkombank, one of Russia’s largest private banks. It collapsed in 1998 under suspicions of money-laundering. The FBI put him on its most-wanted list in 2003. The US charges stem from a 2003 indictment in Philadelphia in which he is accused of manipulating the stock of a Pennsylvania-based company, YBM Magnex Inc. Finally he was arrested in Moscow in January 2008.



Dawood Ibrahim Indian Don

Dawood Ibrahim founder of Indian’s most notorious gang D-Company is No.4 in world’s most wanted criminals by forbes 2008. According to USA he maintains close links with Al-Qaida’s Osama Bin Laden.

Dawood was born in a poor family and his father Ibrahim Kaska was a police constable. Haji Mastan was a famous Smuggler in India those days and Dawood like other poor young men was inspired by him.Soon he joined his gang and started smuggling electronic good for him. Dawood was an extremely intelligent criminal and soon he became front line man for Haji Mastan. Batla a local hoodlum working for Haji had a clash with Dawood ,Mastan slapped Batla but Dawood wasn’t pleased so he parted away from Haji and started operating independently.

Later on he killed Batla ,this incident catapulted him to the upper echelons of the underworld.Within years Ibrahim established vast empire of many illegal business including smuggling , killing ,blackmailing ,liquor selling etc.

Dawood is believed to be involved in 1993 Bombay bombings and also 2008 Mumbai attacks. Currently he is one of the most powerful international mafia dons of the world. Many believe that he has close links with governments of many countries and is currently staying in Dubai.