once the heroin pipeline was discovered, that was the end of that. once the heroin refining labs in sicily were dismantled, there went the source. all that heroin was primarily sourced from afganistan, and without refining, the vast majority of that stuff is now destined for the european market as crude #3 heroin base, not the high quality powder it was turned into previously. besides that, the american mob has enough problems of their own and italian organized crime has focused on importing cocaine as opposed to exporting heroin. combine that with the increased availability of high quality columbian and now mexican heroin along with the distribution networks and infrastructure to support it, the only avenue left for the mob is mid-level involvement.