noun
entourage; cronies; hangers-on
Refers to a group of people who surround and follow someone, often with a slightly negative or dismissive tone implying they are sycophants or lackeys. The word 取り巻き means 'surrounding' and 連中 is a casual, sometimes derogatory term for a group.
社長はいつも取り巻き連中に囲まれている。
The company president is always surrounded by his entourage.
あの政治家の取り巻き連中は、いつもお世辞ばかり言っている。
That politician's cronies are always just flattering him.
取り巻き alone can mean 'surrounding' or 'entourage', but 取り巻き連中 explicitly refers to the group of people, often with a more colloquial and slightly derogatory nuance.
連中 is a casual term for a group of people, often used with a negative or dismissive connotation. 取り巻き連中 combines this with the idea of surrounding.
Compound of 取り巻き (surrounding, from verb 取り巻く 'to surround') and 連中 (group, fellows). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since at least the Edo period to describe a retinue or followers.