Not a lot of difference. Don't forget Vito Rizzuto served only 5 years in an AMERICAN prison for involvement in 3 murders. Yes American law enforcement is tougher, but I think it's more to do with the American Mafia being watered-down and diluted, they simply just died of old age into extinction.
You can't downplay the strength of the US Federal Government. They don't play fair and have unlimited resources when it comes to fighting OC. Their conviction rate is like 90+%. They have a never-ending supply of paid informants and some of the silliest laws known with the witness protection program. That program entices people to cooperate and they use it when it doesn't even make sense. They've done deals with guys who killed dozens of people(Gravano, Massino, etc) people who've dealt billions in drugs (Flores twins). The US judicial system is so corrupt and vindictive you'd have to be crazy or really stupid to get involved in OC in this era. Look what happened to Paul Ragusa, the guy did around 20 years and when he's released to halfway house they use one of his former associates to cook up a crime and throw him back in prison. It was an obvious case of entrapment.
Yep, that's why it's still way more attractive to get into organized crime in Canada and Western Europe. Comparatively lax laws and lax sentencing.
Though I don't know if it's going to stay this way. Italian OC is generally speaking very professional in Western Europe, but other drug trafficking groups are way too brazen. Putting hits on lawyers, sending out death threats to mayors...if they go on like this, give it another decade or so and our judicial system will become just as vindictive and penalties will become just as harsh.
