En la criminología el crimen organizado es asociado a actividades ilícitas planificadas y a estructuras complejas de organización. En la economía del crimen el atributo distintivo es la oferta de protección y justicia alterna al Estado. Así, el crimen organizado ingresaría a los vecindarios urbanos según modos de interacción social entre sus habitantes y su distribución por la ciudad sería desigual. Mediante información cuantitativa‑descriptiva y cartográfica se identificaron vecindarios con expresiones del crimen organizado (homicidios y hurtos a residencia) en Bogotá. Observaciones de campo y entrevistas a profundidad revelaron tres tipos de vecindario que condicionan la presencia del crimen organizado. En el periférico, el control violento sobre la población juvenil es la antesala para regular la vida cotidiana de sus habitantes. En el vecindario en transición, los mercados ilegales y sus formas de regulación se posicionan junto con actividades comerciales que conectan a Bogotá con Colombia. En el conjunto cerrado, la seguridad privada debilita las relaciones de vecindario y facilita la infiltración del crimen organizado. In criminology, organized crime is associated with the planning of illegal activities and complex structures of organizations. In the economy of crime, the distinctive attribute is the offer of protection and an alternate justice to that of government or state. In effect, organized crime will enter into urban neighborhoods using different kinds of social interaction among inhabitants and with unequal distribution through the whole city. The neighborhoods with examples of organized crime (homicides and burglaries) in Bogota were identified using quantitative and descriptive information, as well as cartographic resources. Field observation’s as well as in depth interviews have revealed three types of neighborhood which exhibit favorable conditions for the presence of organized crime. The remote area: the violent control of the youthful population is the precursor to the regulation of the inhabitants’ daily lives. Neighborhoods in transition: illegal markets and their forms of regulation are positioned along with commercial activities, which connect Bogota with the rest of Colombia. The gated community: The interrelations of neighbor and neighborhood are weakened because of private security; which facilitates the infiltration of organized crime.