have any jersey experts ever come across the last name Campisi or DeLuca in the north jersey area during the mid 80's to mid 90's?

anything at all? mainly interested in coke activity from puerto rico to north jersey.

I heard ghostface had beef with the deluca family

The Campisi family yup I heard of them Petey Black and his brother I think he went by the name Petey White. They were a ruthless bunch. Heavily into the drug business among other rackets.

Petey black campisi was around north jersey back then.. I've seen some pics of him and joe ricciardi and those guys from back in the late 80's I would say.

Can you link me to pics or upload them?

Hahahah. You might be the only person here who would get the reference that is my user name.

Interesting looking character to say the least .

My god so they are killers..

BTW is this Campisi guy still locked up? or even alive for that matter?

The Campisi family has intrigued me ever since a friend of mine talked about a book that one of their fella hoods turned rat wrote. (To Drop a Dime) The book is no less than $300 more than I want to pay.
I haven't come across anything in the 80's talking about narcotics trafficking from Puerto Rico to Jersey only Mexico is mentioned.
This is years ago in the 50's but it's all I could find on Puerto Rico

There was a meeting at the East Village apartment discussing the possibility of importing narcotics through Puerto Rico because of turmoil in Cuba and recent misfortunes regarding two shipments by boat. Using the Island of Vieques, off Puerto Rico, as a distributing point, was a suggestion that was never acted on.

The book Deal, by Harvey Aronson tells the same story of how Ira Pecznick flipped and testified against the Campisis but much cheaper. I got mine online for about $10 plus shipping.

How was the book, any good?

Thank you Fleming_Ave for the book info. I will check it out. Ten bucks for a used book compared to $300 sounds like a steal.

Yes, it's good. I think that the other book To Drop a Dime had a little more detail, but I read it so long ago I can't remember. But Deal tells the same story of how Ira Pecznick and John Tully got to know one of the Campisis in jail, and began to work with them when they got out. It goes through the murders, Louie Luciano, Candido Trueba, William Kimbrough. And Gerald Mass who was a truly innocent victim.

You're welcome. I bought my copy about 4 years ago or so, so I don't know the current prices. But To Drop A Dime is still going for $300 and up. I know some of the libraries have To Drop A Dime, but they keep it locked up at the reference desk and you have to read it there, you can't bring it home.

Thanks Fleming for the feedback on the book...I might have to check that out.

The Campisi's are done. They were big in vailsburg Newark.

Yeah...My uncle used to have a diner/luncheonette on South Orange Ave years ago and they would go in there from time to time...
He said they were very respectful(for what it's worth) but batshit crazy.

Both hands clusty

Wow, I remember seeing that book all the time in my dad's famous top drawer of his dresser. He rarely read books, but he read this one. After he died we put all his stuff from the top drawer into another drawer. Sure enough, I just went and looked, and there's his copy of To Drop A Dime. Why is this book worth 300 bucks?

So that's why he had the book. We're all originally from Vailsburg. My dad grew up there. We moved out in 1971 just before I would have had to go to school there. Lived on Poe Avenue. My grandfather had a Barber Shop on South Orange Ave, right near where Pauls Tavern was. My dad owned a beauty salon on S.O. Ave in the village for years. I remember Grunnings was a great place to eat. The Chickens Nest had great potato pancakes.

About the book To Drop a Dime, they say it's so expensive because The Camp's bought up every copy they could find and destroyed them...Don't know how true that is but that's the reason i heard...Yeah Paul's was on the corner of SOA & Richelieu and where you lived on Poe was a block over from there...It's a totally different world there now, freakin shame.

Fascinating. I don't know why gangsters like the Campisis would try buy all copies of the book, their crimes became public in open court when they pled out. And I guess they were all in Trenton or Rahway, whatever jail they were in when the book first came out. I always thought it could have been Newark or Essex County politicians or police departments who quashed the book because the couldn't or didn't seem to lift a finger against the mob for generations. They SHOULD be embarrassed! And how court cases against the mob seemed to be delayed for years, etc. Another book that anyone who is interested in reading about Newark gangsters back them should check out is Marked to Die, by Michael Brown. It's about a guy, Jerry Festa, who testified against mob guys from Newark and went into Witness Protection with his family.

Interesting story about your father having the book. I bet people were stealing them rather than buying them lol
So are you going to stick it back in the drawer for another few decades or are you going to read it or sell it? If you decide to sell it let me know, a friend of mine will want to buy it. Think about it then PM me if you are interested in selling it. Thanks.

I'm reading that "Deal" book, it's interesting so far, these guys were nuts. Thanks Fleming I owe you one.

My guys Salvatore and Anthony will be around next week to pick up an envelope. Just kidding!

Hey the SEARCH feature can really help you out on here.

I was trying to remember the other informants name now I see it John Tully.

My aunt used to own a restaurant on South Orange Avenue about a block or two over from Sacred Heart.

Italian restaurant/cafe next door.

One thing I always remember....there used to be two older men with their chairs smack in the middle of the sidewalk in front of the cafe...drinking coffee and EVEN guys who were known tough guys and maybe killers used to cross the street or walk along the gutter rather than walk in front of that place while those men were sitting. We're talking early 90s.



The Vailsburg section is being slowly gentrified, the areas closest to South Orange that its.

I was wondering if your name came from that supreme clientele track.