The Feds have been claiming the end of the mafia since the 1970s. If you took their words at face value, you might literally think the mob no longer exists anywhere. It's in their best interests to say families are defunct. But this mob forum is not a perfect science or standard formula, despite some of the posters here who believe they are the "PC Police" on what families are and are not active. Those are the exact same posters with no common sense.
I think it's the other way around nowadays. Law enforcement agencies heighten the threat of criminal groups to get more funding. It's more likely that law enforcement is exaggerating about how much power the mafia still has than downplaying its existence. Law enforcement was more of a results based function of government in the days when the mafia was first targeted. Today it's a business. Then you add the private contractors to the mix, prison industrial complex. It's big money. Let there be a union rep in some small town that looks like Tony Soprano and the police will insist the mob is back, and there'll be a measure on the ballot for an additional 100 million in funding for a special police unit to stop it.
