The World’s Most Wanted

They are the men whose very names are synonymous with murder, drug trafficking, terrorism and organised crime.

They head gangs responsible for killing on a grand scale whose tentacles spread across national borders. Interpol describes them as “posing a serious threat to public safety worldwide”.

There is no definitive list of the world’s most wanted fugitives. The FBI’s is perhaps the most famous but – aside from Bin Laden, now marked “deceased” – is made up of those who have committed crimes within the US which do not come close to the deeds for which those pictured here are wanted.


Likewise, Interpol has no set list but acts as a central database for the most wanted men in countries around the world, including Britain’s.

In 2008, the American business magazine Forbes launched its own Most Wanted section, which is largely the basis for our list.

Of its list, Forbes says: “Forbes consulted with law enforcement agencies in the US and around the world to identify its top 10.  Everyone on the list has been criminally indicted or charged, some in national jurisdictions and some by international tribunals.

"They all are accused of a long history of committing serious crimes and are still considered dangerous. And each represents a type of criminal problem with which legal institutions in diverse jurisdictions are grappling.”


Joaquin Guzman
The world’s most notorious drug trafficker also appears on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest men. Guzman is known as El Chapo, or Shorty, and heads Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, responsible for a  drugs war which has left thousands of Mexicans dead in the battle to control smuggling corridors to the US. The US government has indicted Guzman and placed a $5m bounty on his head. He was arrested in Mexico on homicide and drug charges in 1993 but escaped from federal prison eight years later, reportedly through the laundry. He is reported to be responsible for up to half of wholesale drug shipments to the US since 2001.


Semion Mogilevich
The Ukrainian-born organised crime boss has been described as the “boss of bosses” of most Russian mafia syndicates in the world. He is believed to control a vast criminal empire and has been called “the most dangerous mobster in the world”, “the brainy don” and “the billion dollar don”. He was arrested in 2008 in Russia amid accusations of tax evasion but, with lawyers protesting his innocence, he was released in 2009. The US has asked that he be handed over in connection with a $150m stock fraud but with no extradition treaty with Russia, it is unlikely. The FBI says Mogilevich has been linked to allegations from murder-for-hire to weapons and even nuclear trafficking. Mogilevich denies such accusations.


Ayman Al-Zawahiri
Bin Laden’s number two has a $25m bounty on his head, offered by the US government. He is wanted for the murder of American nationals and conspiracy to murder.
He is now widely expected to step up to lead Al Qaeda after bin Laden’s death but is said not to have his former boss’s charm or vision. Al-Zawahiri is a physician and the founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), which merged with Al Qaeda in 1998.


Matteo Messina Denaro
Head of the world’s most famous organised criminal group, the Italian mafia.
Nicknamed “Diabolic”, Denaro emerged as leader of the Italian mafia after the capture of “boss of bosses”, Bernardo Provenzano, in 2006. Arrests of other top mafia men mean the Sicilian godfather is considered the new boss. He is known for driving Porches and wearing Rolex watches. He has been on the run since 1993.


Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov
Born in Uzbekistan, Tokhtakhounov is described by the US government as a “major figure in international Eurasian organised crime”, involved in “drug distribution, illegal arms sales and trafficking in stolen vehicles”. In 2002, the US government indicted him for bribing Olympic figure skating judges. Interpol links him with Mogilevich and, like him, he is a face of the Russian mob.


Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar
The most wanted man in India is believed to lead a 5,000-member criminal syndicate known as D-Company, involved in narcotics and contract killing and based mainly in Pakistan, India and the United Arab Emirates. America says Ibrahim shares smuggling routes with Al Qaeda, with whom they accuse him of collaborating. Also accused of being involved with Al Qaeda affiliate, Lashkar-e-Taiba, which pulled off the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. He is wanted by Interpol on terrorism and explosive charges. Also number 50 on Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful people.


Felicien Kabuga
Africa’s most wanted man is accused of financing one of the worst genocides in human history.
The wealthy businessman is sought by the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in connection with the massacre of over 800,000 Rwandan men, woman and children in 100 days in 1994. He provided transportation and machetes and hoes that were used as weapons. A dramatic US-led operation to catch him in 2003 failed and led to the death of their key informant. The UN court will start examining evidence against him next week. He is believed to be hiding in Kenya.


Joseph Kony
The former Catholic altar boy from Uganda has waged war against the country’s government for two decades in his bid to rule according to the 10 commandments.
The head of guerrilla group, the Lord’s Resistance Army, he has driven the killing of civilians in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has displaced two million people and directed the abduction of 60,000, including 30,000 children, forcing them to fight in his campaign of murder, rape, mutilation and sexual slavery. He reputedly forces children to murder their parents as part of their initiation. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for his arrest for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Thought to have at least 60 wives.


James “Whitey” Bulger
Leader of the Boston-based, Irish American Winter Hill gang.
He is wanted by the FBI for 19 counts of murder, drug distribution, extortion, racketeering and money laundering.
There is a $2m bounty on his head. He has a violent temper and is known to carry a knife. He was last seen in London. His wealth is estimated between $30-50m and he is thought to use that and his criminal contacts – reportedly including the IRA – to evade capture.


Omid Tahvili
Tahvili, 40, is the kingpin of a Persian organised crime family in Canada. Known as “Nino”, Tahvili walked out of a maximum security prison in British Columbia in November 2007 after bribing a guard with $50,000. He had been in custody since 2005 on an unrelated kidnap and assault charge. The US government wants him for his alleged operation of a fraudulent telemarketing business that took $3m from elderly American victims. Tahvili is believed to have connections across the world and is described by the FBI as “extremely dangerous”.

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