u/TrueGosaBrostra

I know that over the past couple of decades, it’s been a bloodbath up there, with groups like the West End Gang and the Hells Angels competing for territory and influence. But as of 2026, are they still considered one of the premier organized-crime groups involved in drug trafficking? And beyond drugs, what other criminal enterprises or revenue streams are they known to be involved in?

Obviously, the Lucchese crime family was recently busted in New Jersey on gambling-related charges, and members of several of the Five Families were also implicated in the NBA gambling investigation in Florida.

If I were 100% Italian and wanted to be made, I would want to be a part of the Genovese crime family for two reasons. Number one is that my old man (RIP), who was a WASP, did a lot of business with the Genovese crime family in terms of selling them waste management equipment, and he always got a kick out of them. He thought they were nice guys, barring their shady “business practices.” And two, because the Genovese crime family has always been about getting that paper and staying low-key.

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The Winter Hill Gang was associated with a broad range of criminal activities, including illegal gambling operations, horse-race fixing, the World Jai Alai parking skim, weapons trafficking to the IRA in Northern Ireland, and involvement in the drug trade. However, the gang’s actual role in these enterprises was not always as extensive as its reputation suggested. Horse-race fixing, for example, appears to have been largely connected to Howie Winter personally rather than representing a major organizational operation. Likewise, while Winter Hill had a significant presence in Boston’s criminal underworld, its involvement in narcotics seems to have been focused less on directly importing or distributing large quantities of drugs and more on exploiting other local dealers through threats, intimidation, and protection schemes.

John “Red” Shea is one example that highlights this distinction. Shea has repeatedly portrayed himself as a member of the Winter Hill Gang, but Kevin Weeks has disputed that claim, stating that Shea was not a member of the organization. Instead, Weeks has described him as one of many individuals involved in the Boston and Somerville drug scene who became targets of Winter Hill’s extortion efforts. According to Weeks, Shea’s main connection to the gang was allegedly making protection payments at Triple O’s in exchange for being left alone.

Weeks has described only one other notable encounter with Shea. After Shea became involved in a personal dispute with his then-girlfriend, who was friends with Weeks, she asked Weeks to intervene. Weeks claimed that he arrived armed with a machine gun, and that the display of force was enough to convince Shea to back down.

These examples raise a larger question about the Winter Hill Gang’s reputation versus its actual capabilities. Although the organization became known as one of Boston’s most feared criminal groups, how effective was it really at running the various enterprises associated with its name?

I’ll admit that Boardwalk Empire had its weaker moments in its later seasons, but I still found the final season thoroughly enjoyable despite its rushed pacing. Much of this can be attributed to HBO shifting its focus and resources toward Game of Thrones as it exploded in popularity, leaving Boardwalk Empire with fewer opportunities to fully develop its concluding chapters. Even so, the show’s portrayal of the fictional downfalls of Nucky Thompson, Chalky White, Dr. Valentin Narcisse, and others serves as a powerful reflection of a darker historical transition: the decline of the old guard and the rise of the Young Turk faction of American mafiosi, led by figures such as Salvatore “Charlie Lucky” Lucania and Meyer “The Little Man” Lansky, who emerged as dominant forces after the conclusion of the Castellammarese War and the creation of The Commission.

For example, my old man (RIP) sold waste management equipment to Genovese crime family associate Carmine “Papa Smurf” Franco, whose waste management company generated millions of dollars. They could have simply run the business legitimately by collecting and disposing of trash legally and still made substantial money. Instead, they started taking medical waste and illegally dumping it so they could pocket the higher fees.

Another example is Mafia-controlled construction projects, where materials would be stolen and then resold to contractors on other jobs. Obviously, they were criminals, not Harvard graduates, but it’s still striking that many of these businesses could have been highly profitable on their own. They could have leveraged the Mafia’s influence to gain contracts and a competitive advantage while operating mostly legitimate businesses instead of constantly engaging in overtly criminal schemes.

Before getting into this, I want to acknowledge that Frank Sheeran has been thoroughly exposed as an unreliable narrator. His claims that he was the gunman in the murders of Joseph “Crazy Joe” Gallo and Jimmy Hoffa have been thoroughly debunked or otherwise disproven. That said, it seems like people on this sub have become more receptive to some of his less outlandish stories and anecdotes. What do you all think?

The American Mafia’s ambitions in Latin America extended far beyond Cuba. While Havana became the most famous example of organized crime’s overseas gambling interests, Mexico was another major target for expansion. The goal was to create a network of casino operations that would bring in enormous profits while establishing a permanent foothold in some of the most important tourist destinations in the region.

The Mexican casino venture was driven by some of the most influential figures in organized crime at the time: Meyer “The Little Man” Lansky, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, Alfred Cleveland Blumenthal, and Frank “The Prime Minister” Costello. Together, they pursued plans to secure lucrative gaming monopolies in Tijuana and Acapulco, two cities with enormous potential for tourism growth and international visitors.

Their negotiations involved Mexican President Miguel Alemán Valdés, whose administration was interested in expanding Mexico’s tourism industry and attracting investment. The proposed arrangement would have allowed the Mafia to establish large-scale casino operations similar to those they had developed in Havana. Tijuana, located directly across from the United States, offered access to a huge American customer base, while Acapulco was becoming one of Mexico’s premier resort destinations.

The project represented a major opportunity for organized crime. A successful casino network in Mexico would have provided a steady source of revenue, political influence, and a strategic base for further expansion throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. It was part of a broader effort by Mafia leaders to move beyond traditional criminal activities and establish themselves within profitable industries such as gambling, tourism, and entertainment.

However, the plan ultimately failed when Alemán became involved in a separate corruption scandal. The controversy ended the negotiations and brought the proposed casino empire in Mexico to a close. The collapse of the agreement effectively ended the Genovese crime family’s ambitions to dominate Mexico’s gaming industry.

At the same time, Mexico played another role in the activities of Lansky and Siegel. Beyond their casino interests, they trafficked heroin into the United States through Mexican routes. Operating from Guadalajara and Mexico City, they relied on associates Max Cossman and Harold “Happy” Meltzer to oversee and facilitate the smuggling network.

The story of the Mafia’s Mexican ambitions shows how organized crime in the mid-20th century operated on an international scale. Their plans were not limited to illegal enterprises alone; they sought control of legitimate industries, built relationships with powerful figures, and attempted to create business empires that stretched across borders. Although the Mexican casino project never reached completion, it remains an important example of the scale of organized crime’s ambitions during this era.

Sources:

The Mafia in Mexico (Part I): https://www.thedope.co.uk/blog/the-mafia-in-mexico-part-i
The Mafia in Mexico (Part II): https://www.thedope.co.uk/blog/the-mafia-in-mexico-part-ii
The Mafia in Mexico (Part III): https://www.thedope.co.uk/blog/the-mafia-in-mexico-part-iii
The Mafia in Mexico (Part IV): https://www.thedope.co.uk/blog/the-mafia-in-mexico-part-iv
The Mafia in Mexico (Part V): https://www.thedope.co.uk/blog/the-mafia-in-mexico-part-v
The “Happy” Hood: https://thenewyorkmafia.com/the-happy-hood-harold-happy-meltzer/

Let me first preface this by noting that, according to Informer Magazine, Capo dei Capi Salvatore “Little Caesar” Maranzano allegedly paid Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll roughly $50,000 to assassinate Salvatore “Lucky Luciano” Lucania, Vito Genovese, and possibly Frank “The Prime Minister” Costello at the same Manhattan office building where Maranzano himself was ultimately murdered by a Lucania (Genovese) family hit squad composed of both Jewish and Italian gangsters after he was reportedly tipped off by Frank Scalice and Thomas “Tommy” Lucchese.

Joseph “Joe” Valachi also recalled in his memoirs that, only days before his death, Maranzano lamented that he would once again have to wage war against the Young Turk faction now led by Lucania, believing their fundamentally different vision for how the American Mafia should operate was impossible to reconcile. At the time, Valachi was a member of the Maranzano (Bonanno) family and served as one of Maranzano’s personal bodyguards and drivers.

Another interesting point for discussion is that Maranzano himself was reportedly under investigation for tax evasion and may very well have become the first major organized crime figure convicted by the IRS before Alphonse “Al” Capone.

I recall reading that the Mafia had a presence in places like Brazil, Venezuela, and Libya (back when Libya was an Italian colony). Are there any other locations I might be missing? Also, which other European countries have a Sicilian Mafia presence?