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They have been labelled urban terrorists and for years have fought one another in a series of brutal killings that have shocked the nation, and left dozens dead and wounded.

But now, in a move led by Birmingham mobsters like the Burger Bar Boys, some of the UK’s most feared street gangs are making peace with one another to form a national ‘supergang’.

Many of the street gangs operating in the UK are in the process of forging an alliance with existing Mafia-style organised crime networks to concentrate on the business of making money.

Birmingham, Manchester and London are thought to be involved.

The sinister new network is a worrying trend as police forces across the country warn that parts of Britain are on the brink of another vicious drugs war as street gangs square up for control of the lucrative heroin and cocaine trade.

According to gangland and law enforcement sources, efforts by UK gangsters to form a national supergang follow a pattern already established in the US and in Dutch capital Amsterdam.

A former gang member, who did not want to be named but now runs a “gang exit” group in Birmingham, said: “It was always going to happen because it makes sound economic sense.

“The move is being driven by some of the older heads of the Burger Bar and Johnson Crew in Birmingham who have led what is described as the thug life but have realised its futility.

“They have seen their close friends being gunned down over petty arguments or being jailed for a long time and having nothing to show for it.

“The stabbings and shootings only draw police attention. On top of that, gang members are always looking over their shoulders in fear of retaliation from rival gangs.

“What they all really want to do now is make money and it makes much more sense for them to work together.”

Midland gangsters have traditionally made loose affiliations across the country, especially in major urban centres such as Manchester and London.

One gangland source said: “The Johnnies have always had a link with Moss Side gangs in Manchester, while the Burgers are close to some London gangs like the PDC and Tottenham Man Dem crew.

“These alliances were based more on familial links and watching each others’ backs when they are in each others’ areas – but now they are actively trying to do business together.”

Birmingham and the Black Country has traditionally been seen as a national drugs hub because of its central location and motorway links, the Birmingham Mail reported.

The source added: “A lot of drugs and firearms find their way to the Midlands first, so the gangs here are trying to make their influence in this region count even more so that they can form alliances with gangs across the country.”

Edward Boyd, deputy policy director at the Centre for Social Justice, said: “It’s a worrying trend.

“It could lead to an escalation in violence because the merging gangs will inevitably clash with existing organised crime networks that already operate on a national and international scale.

“Or it may be that the two groups decide to work closer together, with the street gangs being used to do most of the legwork and take most of the risk out on the streets.

“The gangs would then just be part of a jigsaw. In the end, it’s all about creating a sustainable power base and street gangs can’t get into that position if they are fractured and dealing with internecine battles all the time.”

Kirk Dawes, a former West Midlands police officer who now mediates between warring gangs, added: “What’s also happening now is that ethnicity is much less of a divisive factor.

“It used to be that the gangs worked within their own communities but increasingly that is no longer the case.

“These people will have met one another in prison, or through activities connected with the smuggling and drug business.

“They will have looked at the way each is operating, seen their strengths and weaknesses, and decided to find ways of working together.”

West Midlands Police declined to comment but an Association of Chief Police Officers spokesman said: “Organised criminal gangs working together to establish drug trafficking routes from city to city is by no means a new development.

“Police forces and the National Crime Agency share information so that officers are able to identify and disrupt these illegal trading routes.

“People with information about criminal gangs should report this to their local police force or to Crimestoppers anonymously.”