- "I ran everything for Shaw. Drugs, guns, money, women. He taught me to think global when I was just local. Made me a wealthy man."
- ―Arturo Braga to Brian O'Conner
The Braga Cartel was a drug cartel led by Arturo Braga that smuggled drugs at the border between the United States and Mexico.
History[]
Foundation and Operations[]
The Braga Cartel was founded by Arturo Braga with the intention of garnering profits by engaging in the illegal drug trade at the U.S-Mexico border. Sometime later, Braga came into contact with a foreign criminal named Owen Shaw, who taught Braga to expand his operations globally. In return, the Braga Cartel began running drugs, money, and even women for Shaw all around the world. Under Owen's tutelage, the Braga Cartel rose in power and extended into the United States, particularly in Los Angeles.
To aid his operations, Braga hired street racers to deliver shipments of heroin. However, he ordered his right-hand Fenix Calderon and other henchmen to kill the drivers once the deliveries were completed. Additionally, with Owen's assistance, the cartel identified several informants sent by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to infiltrate the cartel, allowing the cartel to kill them. One such was Letty Ortiz, a member of Dominic Toretto's Crew, although she survived and was recruited by Owen after suffering from amnesia. Braga also hid his true identity with the double alias "Ramon Campos", who acted as Braga's second-in-command.
2009[]
Dom and Brian, the latter who was on an FBI mission to incarcerate Braga, planned to infiltrate Braga's cartel. Therefore, they sought to secure a spot in Braga's driving team. Dom wins an auction race in the Koreatown district of Los Angeles and joins Braga's team to smuggle heroin into Mexico. After one of Braga's drivers was arrested, Brian joined the team. After running a shipment of drugs across the border, Fenix and his henchmen attempted to kill Brian and Dom as part of their modus operandi, but not before Fenix revealed to Dom that he caused Letty's supposed death. However, Brian and Dom were able to escape and kill several henchmen after blowing up their cars.
Later, Brian collaborated with the FBI for a drug bust by to luring Braga into a trap for money in exchange for stolen heroin. With Dom, Brian, and the FBI present, the sting operation goes wrong when "Ramon Campos" was revealed as the real Braga. After a shootout occurs, Braga escapes with Fenix to Mexico while many of Braga's henchmen are killed or arrested by FBI agents. After a chase through the tunnels to the U.S, Braga's remaining henchmen were wiped out and Fenix was murdered by Dom when the latter t-boned Fenix with his car.
Disbandment[]
- "What do you think happened, Dom, every time you took somebody down? Their territory just stayed crime-free? The Trans, Braga, The Shaws, Cipher. You paved the way for me."
- ―Jakob Toretto to Dominic Toretto
In the aftermath, Braga was arrested and sentenced to serve a life sentence in prison, resulting in the Braga Cartel's disbandment. Sometime after the cartel's disbandment, Jakob Toretto, Dom's brother, was able to take over the cartel's former territory for his own purposes after going rogue from the Agency to collaborate with Otto.
Known Members[]
| Name | Years Active | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arturo Braga | Unknown-2009[1] | Leader | Incarcerated |
| Fenix Calderon | Unknown-2009 | Second-in-Command | Deceased |
| Gisele Yashar | Unknown-2009 | Liaison | Defected |
| Dwight Mueller | 2009 | Drug Courier | Incarcerated |
| David Park | Unknown-2009 | Race Organizer | Inactive |
| Tash Barilla | Unknown-2009 | Drug Courier | Inactive |
Allies[]
| Name | Years Active | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Shaw | Unknown-2009[2] | Associate and Benefactor | Alive |