How do rival gangs who don't trust each other do business?

 Conducting business between rival gangs, despite the obvious trust issues, requires a delicate dance of pragmatism, strategy, and often, brute force. Here are some common methods:

Neutral Ground:

• Mediators: Neutral third parties, often seasoned criminals or respected figures within the underworld, can broker deals and ensure fairness. They may hold collateral, oversee exchanges, and even settle disputes.
• Safehouses: Agreed-upon neutral territories provide a temporary space for negotiations and transactions without fear of immediate violence.

Formal Agreements:

• Contracts: Written or verbal agreements, often witnessed by neutral parties, outline the terms of the deal, including goods, services, payment, and consequences of breach.
• Guarantees: Each side might provide hostages or valuables as collateral to ensure compliance and deter double-crossing.

Unofficial Methods:

• Reputation: A history of honoring deals, even with rivals, can build trust and encourage future cooperation. Betrayal, however, can lead to severe consequences.
• Fear: The threat of violence or retaliation can keep both sides honest, though this creates a volatile and unstable environment.
• Intermediaries: Lower-ranking members or trusted associates may handle the actual exchange of goods or money, reducing the risk of direct confrontation between high-ranking figures.

Additional Factors:

• Shared interests: When mutual benefit outweighs the risk of distrust, rival gangs might cooperate on ventures like smuggling routes, territory control, or even joint attacks on common enemies.
• External pressures: Law enforcement crackdowns or increasing competition from other criminal organizations can incentivize temporary cooperation between rivals.
• Leadership: The personalities and reputations of gang leaders can play a significant role in determining whether cooperation or conflict prevails.

Ultimately, the success of any transaction between rival gangs depends on a precarious balance of factors. Trust is always in short supply, and even the most meticulously planned deals can go wrong with devastating consequences.

It's important to remember that this is a dangerous and highly illegal world, and the portrayal of gang activity here is for informational purposes only. Engaging in such activities is never advisable and can have serious repercussions.