This.
Vito is also right - Sammy has no specific knowledge on this, the Gambino's wouldn't know anything about Canada. He's just repeating what he'd heard from friends of friends which was accurate at the time on the street circa 1992.
The Sciascia incident is what changes everything. It's the catalyst - the Rizzuto organization has grown immensely in size, power and wealth and were in a position that they had the option to break off from the Bonannos. Plus they had a border between them.
And anyone who dismisses the Rizzuto's on the basis of being "the Canadian mafia" is painfully ignorant. They may operate out of Canada but the Rizzutos are Sicilian to the core - they are a family from Cattolica Eraclea living in Montreal.
I don't think he's wrong or this is a surprise.
When Gerlando "George from Canada" Sciascia was killed in 1999 is when Canada/Rizzuto broke from the Bonanno family and by 1999 Sammy was well out of touch with everything.
Before then the Bonanno family owned the Rizzuto clan
When you say the Gambinos didnt know about Canada, I must respectfully disagree.
First off, right there with them, partners at the top in Venezuela, you had the Inzerillos, the Caruana Cuntreras, the Rizzutos, and John Gambino.
Second, Paolo Gambino ran immigrant smuggling THROUGH Montreal in the 70s. The Gambinos were partly responsible for importing all these zips, many came on their own too. Guys like Riccardo Cefalu, started coming over as early as like 63 or 64, which is funny, because it's the years Galante went inside. And hes usually credited with the mass recruitment of Zips, but he was locked up when they started coming over.
Now, im not saying Sammy's not a bullshitter, lol.. he probably got his info from the internet, lol
But I have no idea HOW IT WASNT common knowledge amongst the wiseguys that the sicilians were moving a lot of weight.
