Sure, not every HA member is a millionaire, but there are many who are. Just as not every Sidernese mobster in the GTA or every Rizzuto is a millionaire either. I mean, look at the Acardi? Shakedown of a coffee shop, definitely something I'd expect more from a common street hoodlum, not a wealthy supposed mafia boss. I would definitely say that membership across the two groups in question would be relatively representative of Canadian society in general, if not skewed toward the upper end of it.

Ha do have political links as well, there are several instances of lobbyists, mayors and even high level judicial authorities being very closely associated with different chapters. For quite some time the head of the provincial biker squad in Quebec was taking multi hundred thousand dollar pay offs fr the Nomads.

They also did have links to Colombian cartels in the 90s/early 2000s. That affiliation has obviously now switched to the Sinaloa cartel given the latter groups domination of cocaine exports to north America. I can think of at least three relatively recent large busts which feature Hells Angels groups directly importing cocaine from Sinaloa cartel in Canada. The Amero operation, who supplied this particular group mentioned in this news article being one of them. If you want to go back a decade, there was also multi hundred million dollar western wind bust in BC. Something like 5000 lbs of cocaine being transported from Colombia directly to a prominent BC Hells Angels chapter.

Ivy, three regions in Canada come to mind when discussing Italian oc in Canada, Montreal, Hamilton and the base GTA region, is Toronto and Woodbridge. Even if you consider the Rizzuto group to be "higher up" and "more sophisticated" in Montreal, would you really argue the same for the other two regions ? I'd love to see the supposed sophistication of the Commissos or the Luppino group or even the Musitanos.

I would have to see a link on the HA connects to cartels; In the 90s to 2000s I mean......



I don't think that's right, actually I'm positive. If they had the streets and the dope, they woulda never needed an alliance with the mafia, what would have been the point? Also, and I don't mean to stereotype them all, but what would they even do? Ride up to a Colombian paramilitary on a bike and negotiate? These mafia connects in South America go back decades, and that's where you had go to negotiate a 5000 kilo load. (This is, like, a transitional period, before the Mexicans totally took over)Are you sure the HA imported it? That would be interesting....




Remember that guy, that Rizzuto guy, Oreste Pagano, I think?
He arranged a 5000 kilo load in the late 90s. I just never heard of the HA having those connects. They appeared more like, the Naples NCO, or the GDs in Chicago in the 90s, organizations with huge memberships, thus a huge street pressence, but you have to maintain this with violence, which is always unsustainable.



@Sonny
That's really a point I've been trying to make for awhile now, the differences between the two types of organizations, (Enterprise vs Power syndicate) and that they are really hard to compare, but it falls on deaf ears often...


@Azure
I wasn't so much speaking on sophistication, more on the fact that the HA source of power, is violence in the street, and control of territory, rather than control of the narcotics supply, understand I NEVER heard of HA controlling the supply, it was always Rizzutos and the Siderno group, the HA controlled WHO got to sell WHAT, and WHERE they sell it, and WHEN. That's what got em a seat at the table.


Now having said all that, I do think it's very LIKELY that the HA would have a direct line to one of the Cartels today. See this is a question I BEEEEN asking people, If Ndrangheta controls the European Coke trade, and Mexico controls the NA Coke trade, where does that leave the Rizzutos? An organization whose power was based on them being the preeminent Italian suppliers of Coke this side of the world. It would make sense that Sinaloa would sell direct to them, like I said, what's the point of Rizzuto middlemen in 2016?
The HA might be stronger in Montreal today than the Rizzutos, not sure, but it could be very possible, any thoughts??

I don't have the book with me at the moment, but I believe it is "Biker Trials" by Paul Cherry that details the links. It has a free preview on google books so if you Google the name Sandra Antelo and/or Guy Lepage it will turn up relevebt information. The Nomads were initially going through Antelo(the daughter of a drug lord) in the early 90s, then later going direct to Colombia themselves.

Niiice!!! I need a new book, thnx a lot.......
I remember reading about HA, IN BUSINESS SUITS, and operating like any corporate boss would, and being surprised.. I think it was Sixth Family, maybe another book.....


But their power was traditionally goon squads, lol..

hey anti,

In the article, they mention a "rizzuto relative and two brothers" who are rizzuto loyalists.. any idea who the 3 characters are that the article is referring to?

^^^^
The "relative" is not a relative—the reference is probably being made to the man whose wife is a first cousin of Vito Rizzuto's wife; or to this man's father-in-law, who is the uncle of Rizzuto's wife. You and anyone else should feel free to PM me for names and details.

The brothers are the Caputo twins, one of whom is implicated in the murder of Johnnie Raposo.

That information is 20 years old. It's unclear how much the HA obtained through their Colombian connect (LePage claims there were five total shipments, equaling out to several tonnes of cocaine) What about here and now? That is the debate. Not what the HA were doing in 1997; the Nomad chapter is totally defunct. Do you have evidence that the Colombian connection survived the Nomads?

Not sure if you were following the exchange between Cabrini and I, however he specifically asked for references to the Hells Angels connections to Colombian suppliers 20 years ago. For modern day examples, you can look at the Larry Amero bust of the Amero and Gisby groups in BC. I don't really have time to dig through indictments, articles etc, but if you give me some time I certainly can.

do you have seriouse sources that explain the political connections of bikers? i hardly believe they have some
i read that a minister of canada (alfonso gagliano) is a member of the mafia, i think italian mafia is more powerful than bikers

liberals have traditionally been soft on crime of all kinds, including organized crime.


well the conservative dominated states should be crime free. but we know that is not the case

Mobsters Are Getting Whacked Off All Over the Place in Toronto

By Jake Kivanc
Editorial Intern
February 5, 2016


Last week, Rocco Zito—a long-retired Toronto crime boss—was found shot to death in his home, allegedly slain by his son-in-law. Zito died at 87, a long life for anyone, but especially long for a former mob boss believed to have been involved in up to six murders. Even more surprising was that he wasn't the only old-school mobster recently killed in Toronto.

Just a week prior, Alfredo Patriarca—an alleged member of the American-based Patriarca crime family—was assassinated in the garage of a house he rented. The police released a video Wednesday that shows an assailant donning a white parka and black jeans fleeing the scene, and questions have been raised whether it has something to do with a previous attempt on his life.

While gang disputes in Toronto have floated in and out of the public consciousness during the last decade, the classic image of European mafias that once dominated pop culture have largely faded into obscurity. Consequently, these new murders have stuck out.

James Dubro has an encyclopedic knowledge of Canadian crime. From the biggest biker gangs to the triads to various mafias to rag-tag teams of criminals, Dubro has documented the most bloody and brutal parts of Canadian criminal history for the last 42 years. If he had a resume, his skills would include having hitmen as friends and access to a rolodex of mob bosses you only see in films like The Godfather.

Starting as a documentary journalist in 1974, Dubro covered a swath of Canadian gang activity from the 1970s to the 90s. Some of the highlights included the ups and downs of Ontario's Calabrian mafia, and the various warring factions of Asian gangs on the west coast. He's covered biker gangs like the Hells Angels and Rock Machine, as well as the Montreal-based Rizzuto crime family.

In Canada, it's hard to find anyone better qualified to speak about organized crime, so I called him up to get a clearer idea of what's happening to the criminal world.

VICE: If you're willing to spill some of your secrets—how did you begin to gain access to sources within organized crime?
James Dubro: It was very different in the 70s. We were lucky to have the CBC behind us with money. We actually spent three years researching one documentary and they had resources that they gave us. I cultivated organized crime sources, which includes everything from mistresses, to ex-members of biker gangs, mafias, and various organized crime groups, Asian crime groups.

In those days, there was no internet. I started by spending a few months at the library. I know that sounds ridiculous now, but there was no Google. There was nothing. I had to use cards on which I wrote everything. I had a file card system. Basically, I spent a lot of time, a lot of money. I had to wine and dine sources—we actually had a budget for that. A Mountie will talk a lot better after he's had a few glasses of booze. In the early 70s, the cops were very suspicious of reporters, but they weren't suspicious anymore after a few drinks.

What was the climate of organized crime like in Canada in the 70s and 80s?
In the 70s it was very different. Vancouver has always been very interesting and the [west coast] has always been Asian gangs. It's something that goes back almost 100 years. You also have a lot of independent gangs in Vancouver. The white boys, the bikers, the street gangs, and all that. There's been a lot of violence in these gangs, a lot of killings in Vancouver. That's stayed the same.

In Montreal, it was always very violent because of its location. Drugs would always come through there, bootleg booze would pass through. It was also always much more structured, when compared to Ontario at least. We've had our ups and downs.

Toronto is really a different kettle of fish. The last real godfather we had in Toronto was Paul Volpe. [Volpe was assassinated in 1983 at the age of 55.] Volpe wasn't really the godfather of Toronto, but he was the closest thing to it. That means he was someone who everybody in the underworld respected and feared.

In terms of who controls the game nowadays—who's moving the drugs and doing the most business—have gangs replaced the mafia in Canada?
Well, the mafia is weakened nowadays. From [police activities] to infighting, it has gone down a bit. Bikers have this issue too—a lot of police activities. You'll see on the streets here in Toronto that most of the shootings and crime happens from [Haitian/Jamaican gangs and Triads]. I read something in the paper yesterday that said the 'Ndrangheta [a prominent Italian crime family] is the biggest and most dangerous mafia in the world. That would be true if you brought all the different sects together. There are many, many, many cells of these mafias and they don't work together most of the time. The public thinks of it in a distorted way.

Is organized crime as organized as we perceive it to be?
Each place is different, but that's part of the story. People work together in different operations, drug rings work together, and people set up rivalries. That's why you see these killings, two in Toronto that are organized-crime connected—Rocco Zito and Alfredo Patriarca. You have problems and divisions and rivalries, and the way to solve them in organized crime is often to just shoot the person, to kill them, to get rid of them.

Let's talk about the Rocco Zito killing. The police are saying it was just a dispute between a son-in-law and his father.
We don't know that—it's just alleged. One of the ways of forming alliances in these circles is to marry your daughter off to a rival family. It's unclear yet if it's a domestic dispute or a rival action or both. We'll find out in time, and people like to jump to conclusions very quickly.

What was the legacy of Rocco Zito?
From talking to some of the people who work for him, it's that a lot of people in the underworld respected and feared him. He brought in drugs quietly and he provided illegal card games. He was very good at illegal gambling operations here in Ontario.

Is there anything brewing right now in organized crime that we have to keep an eye on?
These things change and they're flexible. They're not written in stone. I don't think there's going to be a mob [or biker] war in Ontario. I think whatever war there was in Quebec recently is now sorted out and, presumably, under the new leaders of the Rizzuto family, there will be less bloodshed. British Columbia, there's always battles because no one's supreme. There's always killings and there's always vengeance and there's always drug turf wars because there's so much money to be made.

Do you think most people don't understand how organized crime really works?
I think most people have a very simplified view of organized crime. People often ask me who the boss of Toronto is, as if it's that simple. It isn't, it's extremely complex, and when you're talking about British Columbia crime, there has never been one person in charge. This is also very fluid and changing. It only really takes a gun and a couple of people to shoot the boss—if there is a boss—and it's happened. It's happened in Atlantic City, in New York City. It's happened in Toronto. No matter how respected or feared you are, it only takes one bullet to end your reign.
http://www.vice.com/read/we-spoke-to-an-...source=vicefbus

That headline has to be intentional, right?

Also, that article says that he is an alleged member of the Patriarca family... that can't be true.

Good article. I didn't know about Aflredo Patriarca. Has that even been mentioned on these forums? If he's related to the Patriarcas in Providence then it may be quite significant. Also, it seems as if Dubro hasn't been following Montreal too much lately.

I am not sure but I HIGHLY doubt he has anything to do with Boston and Providence.

Just some VICE writer making shit up.

I think the Patriarca being related to the Patriarca crime family is total bullshit.

Peter Edwards's latest article:

"Police downplay mob hit angle to murder of man injured in College Street shooting"

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/02/...t-shooting.html

Article about the person accused of killing Johnny Raposo at the Sicilian Sidewalk Cafe in Toronto a few years ago; the article is about a different case.

"Accused killer Dean Michael Wiwchar loses appeal of firearms convictions"

http://www.theprovince.com/News/12681815/story.html

"Jury selection begins in high-profile murder at café in Toronto's Little Italy during a soccer broadcast"

http://news.nationalpost.com/toronto/jur...-game-broadcast

It's about time. Why that long?

I think getting this to trial has been very complicated.

Wiwchar was already facing charges in British Columbia in an unrelated matter.

Nero was facing charges in relation to Project Ink (Phase I, I think--I can check later) and was in prison when he was charged in relation to Raposo's murder.

Alkhalil was hiding out in Greece, and he was also facing charges in relation to Operation Loquace (maybe Phase I of Project Ink, too--again, I can check later).

Caputo was hiding out in Germany, and he was also facing charges in relation to both Project Ink (probably Phase I) and Operation Loquace.

I can't recall at the moment whether Alkhalil or Caputo or both were charged in relation to Raposo's murder while sitting in jail, after first having been extradited to Canada.

Then of course there is the whole issue of whether Alfredo Patriarca's murder was related to Raposo's murder; whether Patriarca may have have been involved in the latter. I'm not sure of all the reasons, but perhaps law enforcement needed and wanted to round up all the suspects before moving things along?

"Plot to steal cocaine led to fatal Little Italy patio shooting, court hears"

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/04...ourt-hears.html

Very insightful, I guess we can also say there is no honor among drug dealers.
I think they used the rat excuse to rip the guy off to make a quick buck.
I find it odd that the journalist made no reference to Alfredo Patriarca.

Perhaps the crime reporters will only be able to mention Patriarca in their stories if and when his name should come up in the trial of the four individuals accused in the murder of Raposo.

If the Crown and the defence are prevented from raising Patriarca's murder in this trial--and I don't even know whether that is true or not--I suspect the reason or reasons could or would apply to the media's being unable to mention Patriarca in their articles about the trial.

"Emails allegedly reveal conspiracy in Little Italy murder"

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/04/07/tri..._MJmxbg.twitter

"Alleged hitman in deadly Little Italy shooting sent message about 'contract killing,' Crown says"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/johnnie-raposo-trial-1.4064710

"Closing arguments underway at Toronto cafe murder trial"

http://www.570news.com/2017/05/03/closing-arguments-begin-at-toronto-cafe-murder-trial

"Revenge talk between three men just ‘macho nonsense,’ Toronto murder trial hears"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toro...rticle34890209/