One example of a career criminal engaged in narcotics trafficking is Harry Riccobene, a high ranking member of the Bruno family. Riccobene has a record of four narcotics convictions, ranging from the 1920's until his latest in 1956. In 1970 he was convicted of conspiring to transport a stolen $500,000 U.S. Treasury bill from Philadelphia to Indianapolis. The U.S. Bureau of Narcotics termed Riccobene "an important midwest narcotics wholesale trafficker. In 1952 he was convicted in federal court in Philadelphia for conspiring to purchase large amounts of heroin from a Baltimore supplier, and was sentenced to a term of one year. In 1954 he was one of the principal traffickers arrested by Bureau of Narcotics Agents who broke up a large heroin wholesaling operation active in Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Cleveland. Cosa Nostra leaders Salvatore Pieri and Sam Rizzo of Buffalo, Sylvester Poliafico of Cleveland, Rocco Mazzie of New York, and Harry Riccobene of Philadelphia were among the major traffickers convicted in federal district court in Cleveland. Riccobene was sentenced to a term of 2 1/2 years.

In 1956 the Philadelphia Police Department labeled Riccobene as the "number one man in the drug racket in Philadelphia," and he was alleged to have close connections with international Cosa Nostra leader Charles "Lucky" Luciano, who had been deported to Italy. Later in 1956 Riccobene was convicted on state charges in Philadelphia of dealing in heroin. He was sentenced to a term of 7 1/2 to 15 years. Despite the fact that this was his fourth narcotics conviction, a plea was made for a light sentence by Philadelphia City Councilman Raymond Pace Alexander. Later Riccobene was supported in a bid for a commutation of sentence by State Senator Vincent Scarcelli.

In 1958, five of Riccobene's associates in the Philadelphia-Camden area were indicted in both New York and Camden (on separate charges) for operating a narcotics distribution organization. Among the codefendants were four of the major narcotics violators in the Philadelphia are: Cosa Nostra member Peter Casella and associates Frank Valli, Frank Malfi, and James Santore. In July of 1958 Casella and Santore were convicted in New York and were sentenced to respective terms of 40 and 43 years each. Subsequently they were convicted in federal court in Camden and were sentenced to concurrent 25-year terms. Casella had been labeled by the Bureau of Narcotics as a "major narcotics violator" from the Philadelphia area, and heir to the Cosa Nostra organization left by the late Marco Reginelli of Camden, underboss of the Philadelphia area Cosa Nostra.

Federal, 'State, and local law enforcement authorities have developed a number of other major narcotics cases in Pennsylvania in recent years. Among the most noteworthy have been the following:
1950: Frank Sindone, an associate and proposed member of the Angelo Bruno family, was convicted of smuggling heroin into the United States while a member of the armed forces stationed in South Carolina.
1953: Philadelphia numbers banker and narcotics trafficker Andrew Willis was convicted of selling a synthetic narcotic. The organization of which Willis was a part also operated in Washington, D.C., New York, and Massachuaetts.
1956: Federal, state, and local authorities from Ohio and Pennsylvania staged a massive raid in Pittsburgh. Two of the major Ohio traffickers were apprehended: Edward Todd of Bellaire, Ohio, and Rinaldo Tarquino of Steubenville, Ohio.
1957: A narcotics operation in Pottsville was broken up by federal and local authorities. Oreatha Gupton and three associates were apprehended and later convicted, and their New York source of supply was arrested.
1967: Allegheny County Detectives arrested two of the major sources of illicit heroin in Pittsburgh, Robert Singleton and Charles Mosby, in a coordinated raid.

Vigorous state, federal, and local enforcement activity has affected the flow of illegal narcotics in Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics, Philadelphia was in 1965 considered as an intermediate distribution point and not a major source of supply:
The narcotics traffic in Philadelphia has now more or less stabilized to individual addicts or one individual addict acting for a group making trips irregularly to New York, and obtaining either personal or group supplies of heroin.
However, since that time the narcotics traffic in Philadelphia has markedly increased. A number of major narcotics peddlers in Philadelphia supply the entire Delaware Valley area.
Most law enforcement authorities agree that while wholesale and retail distribution of illegal narcotics in Pennsylvania has become somewhat decentralized, major organized crime syndicates still retain control over manufacture and importation of illicit drugs.

Out of all the guys in the Philly Family(past or present) IMO, Riccobene lands in my top spot of Tuff MF er's.
He was one interesting character.