cartel

A cartel is a group of people or companies that work together secretly to control or manipulate something. This can include markets, industries, or even governments.

When we hear about cartels in news articles or movies, they often refer to organized crime groups that smuggle goods, like drugs or guns, into a country without paying the usual taxes. But the term cartel is also used more broadly to describe any group of companies that conspire together to fix prices or limit competition, for example. In this sense, cartels are seen as anti-competitive and often break laws that regulate business practices.