The Original French Connection Case

Keeping our promise to several forum members, Lisa and I are getting ready to put out another mob biography. This time about a goodfella who was a shadow for most of his life, yet that shadow loomed large over the New York underworld, and more specifically the international narcotics business.

Lucchese gangster Angelo (Little Angie) Tuminaro was a stone cold hoodlum and narcotics peddler his whole life. HE was the fella behind the well documented drug conspiracy later made famous on celluloid called "The French Connection" which starred actor Gene Hackman.

So be on the lookout for another ButtonGuys expose on the underworld! ..... or as one or two here have labeled our work "total BS and fabrication" LOL

Hopefully we can have it posted up a bit later today.

Till then... "The Other Guy!"

The infamous French Connection Case broken up in 1962 by NYC detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso was the biggest drug seizure case in U.S. history up to that time. It was such front page news that it was later made into a popular movie.

Little Angelo Tuminaro was the criminal mastermind behind that importation scheme....Here is his life story!

https://thenewyorkmafia.com/2020/11/17/angelo-little-angie-tuminaro/

This is a story that speaks to a history most of us are at least vaguely familiar with from TV or books... "The Infamous French Connection."

We thought (most) everyone would like this story.

Good article.

Being French, that's a subject i've always been interested in.

As you pointed out, The French Connection was mostly run by the Corsican Mob. It's interesting to note that people associated with the French Connection ran France's underworld up until the 80's. There was even some old timers who were still active in the 2000's. Even at an old age, these guys were among the few people in France who had the expertise and connections to move large quantity of drugs.

Crime author Pierre de Champlain pointed out Tuminaro had also links with Giuseppe Cotroni, Vic's younger brother, in Montréal.

Yes the Corsican mob was very powerful in their own right. So much so, that they maintained pivotal contact with both Canada and the U.S. for many decades primarily to facilitate their drug networks, but also in tandem with other rackets in partnership with the Italian-American mafia. Stolen and forged stocks and securities, counterfeiting U.S. and Canadian currency, and other black market contraband.

Another pioneer was Lucien Rivard, in the 1950s he moved to Cuba and operated a casino, and became involved in the heroin business. In 1958 he moved back to Laval, Quebec.