The Rizzutos reportedly have had direct contacts with the South Americans since the 1970s. In the 1970s-1980s, New York families seemed to deal through Cuban or Colombian middle-men operating in Florida more than the cartels themselves, though in that period they certainly had links. Can't say much over what's going on today other than the Mexican Cartels can rely on American street gangs to move product and don't have much use for the American mafia.

When talking about American families, it would be true to say they are less confrontational with the police and operate "under the radar" with cooperation with corrupt officials.

Sicilians have proven that they will go up against the state with violence if they are forced too, though they prefer to work with corrupt officials and be a "state within a state".

The cartels will do anything they have to get want they want, if corruption doesn't work (and it often does), they will chop your head off or blow you up in the street if they feel it will get what they want and they can get away with it. It doesn't matter if you're the president of a country or a street thug. It doesn't have to do with being "anti-state" or "controlling the state"; it's just different means to the same end: criminals getting what what they want. Something that doesn't work for one organization might work for another somewhere else.

For example, the cartels will move against latin amercian politicians and judges because they can get away with it. If they killed an American or Canadian politician or judge the heat they'd get would get would outweigh the benefits, that's why they hold back on the violence north of the Rio Grande.