The Five Crime Syndicates was a term given to several crime syndicates located in the galaxy.
The former Sith Maul (pictured) was the shadowy leader of Crimson Dawn and secret puppet master of the Five Crime Syndicates overall.
Crimson Dawn, Black Sun, the Crymorah Syndicate, the Hutt Clan, and the Pyke Syndicate were all members of the Five Syndicates. Although the grouping thus consisted of five major crime syndicates, the smaller Son-tuul Pride was a sixth member. During the time of the Galactic Empire, the renegade Sith Lord Maul had gained control over the syndicates. Though the arrangement provided great riches that silenced Maul's detractors, those critical of Maul did exist and remained unhappy with this arrangement as Maul, in their eyes, "kept them under his boot." However, anyone who voiced open discontent was silenced.
Maul was the shadow leader of Crimson Dawn, which was widely considered as the most powerful and dangerous among the syndicates. On Maul's order, the syndicates were not to war with each other and thus remained allies. Crimson Dawn's alliance with the Pykes was able to stand but remained fragile. Though Crimson Dawn was loathe to risk it, warring among the factions was not uncommon. Still, under Maul's rule such conflict could not be done out in the open. Maul would eventually be separated from galactic affairs by being stranded on the planet Malachor and later be slain in 2 BBY, thereby allowing open warfare amongst the syndicates to resume if tensions rose to those heights.
Sometime after Supreme Leader Snoke's assumption of leadership within the First Order, Master Codebreaker wrote in the Smuggler's Guide new list of powerful syndicates, Black Sun lost their place in the list and became vigo diaspora, the Crymorah was replaced by the Droid Gotra, Crimson Dawn was replaced by both the Son-tuul Pride and the Guavian Death Gang, and finally, the Pykes and Hutts were replaced by Kanjiklub and the Red Key Raiders.
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