I've always seen the mob ( Made guys..) as a mechanism to privatize illegal criminal markets and contacts.

@ Furio

You should read some of John Dickes works. TheSicilian mafia has ALWAYS initiated just about any Italian they can get money with. Can't beat em, join em type of thing. There were a few powerful Mafiosi not Sicilian initiated into the SICILIAN Costa Nostra.

Examples?
1. Michele Zaza
2. Antonio Bardellino
3. Lorenzo Nuvoletta
4. One or more of those Piromallis, ,maybe Mommo, I gotta get my book....
There could

Like take Zaza, right? He was the biggest player in the cigarette trade, which centered around Naples. It was the biggest illegal business in Italy. So what did Costa Nostra do? They initiated men with influence in the industry, so as to gurrantee their stake, and to privatize the control of the markets in THIER hands. (But Zaza was STILL virtually uncontrollable, lol)

This was one of Luciano's main issues. It's why I think he and his click were so tight with Chicago. They cared about who was CAPABLE, first, ethnicity second, if they really cared at all.