The Hutt Clan, also known as the Hutt Families, and the Hutt Cartel or just the Hutt clans, was a Hutt crime family, and was governed by the Grand Hutt Council, a council of elder Hutts located on Nal Hutta. The Hutt Clan made its riches through smuggling and myriad illegal businesses across worlds.
Under the era of the High Republic Era, the Hutt Clan saw the danger of the peace and prosperity spreading across the galaxy as this threaten their ambitions, and sought to reduce the influence of the expanding Galactic Republic, and also had to contend with the carnivorous Drengir species and the anarchistic marauders Nihil but were not known to venture into Republic space due to sanctions upon the Hutt Clan regarding outstanding trading issues.
By the time of the Clone Wars, it was one of the most powerful crime families in the galaxy, the Hutts’ had a large influence and power over the Outer Rim, specifically its hyperspace lanes. Due to this, the Hutt Clan aligned itself with the Galactic Republic in it war effort against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The chaos of the war allowed the Hutt Clan to expand their influence to the far reaches of the galaxy. However, much of the Hutts territorial expansion was itself contained by large swatches of Separatist space.
By the time of the Imperial Era, the clan remained under the control of Grand Hutt Council and was part of the Five Crime Syndicates. At one point, the Hutt Clan were involved in a series of trade wars with the InterGalactic Banking Clan. During the Galactic Civil War, they clashed on multiple occasions with a group of mercenaries operating on the planet Tatooine, and established an alliance with the Galactic Empire. When an auction was announced by Crimson Dawn leader Qi’ra, the Grand Hutt Council participated but was invaded by Darth Vader, who after an insurrection in Jekara‘s orbit with Imperial forces, provoked by Bokku, the council was killed by Darth Vader, leaving Jabba as the sole leader of the Hutt clans.
Following the death of Jabba on Tatooine, the Hutt Clan entered into a period of decline as their power waned significantly, allowing other criminal organizations to flourish in its absence.