Was the pizza connection the biggest American drug operation during its time? It is said that $1.65 billion worth of heroin was smuggled in throughout the duration of the scheme.

sure the most lucrative, concerning the number of people involved was probably the operation 'adamita-romano' in the late 1980s with over 200 arrests between us and italy

mexico and colombia was flooding the usa in the 70tys it just didnt make for great press like a few old guys smuggling dope from italy across a ocean, i mean they were smuggling but read the pizza connection book sometimes the boss baldamenti was sending 2 to 5 kilos of dope a month thats not that big. then the guys were caught complaining the product was weak or no good and while this was happening up im the northeast around 1970tys 80ty miami is builing there city on drugs

pizza connection was just the most famous, there were tons of operation against sicilian mafia at that time in the us

Heroin and Cocaine became popular in America in the late 1960s.

It’s good that you say that about Badalementi. I have always seen people say that he was a “Heroin King” and he made so much money but when I read online that he couldn’t pay his or his son’s multi million dollar bail then I started to think that people were grossly over exaggerating his kingpin status. I think he might have oversaw a lot of heroin dealings but I don’t think that it’s evident that he was making as much as someone like Frank Matthews.

Badalamenti was kicked out of the Sicilian mafia commission already by 1978. When he was arrested in the Pizza Connection case in the 80s, he was far from being at the peak of his power; some people were still loyal to him, but it was a joke compared to the 70s, when he was the representative of the whole Palermo province on the regional commission.

gambino capo conte was actually meeting with toto and his guys in sicicly in the 80tys. conte was never even indicted for herion charges and like mikey scars said hes like the international dope baron of the world. its funny hes talking about jis induction and there like no drug dealing and hes looking at gene gotti on one side of the table out on bail for herion and pat conte a drug lord on the other

probaly rite about baldimneti. he was kicked out in 78 he was rubbing knickles by 82 83 84

Yeah Sr. was expelled and moved to Brazil, however his sons have been linked to the powerful Madonia family, their former enemies lol.

With drugs being a major cash business, how did he manage to lose so much even after he was kicked out of the commission? Do you think he spent a lot trying to escape and hide or did his rivals take a good chunk of his cash from him?

In comparison to the French connection was the pizza connection as big? I think the French connection was bigger because the operation was up and running for a few decades and law enforcement seized tens of millions of dollars worth of heroin many times during that period.

Don't know, could be either way, but most of his allies in Sicily were killed in the first 80s, he was not only kicked out of the commission, but even removed from the position of boss of the Cinisi family. By the time of his arrest, he was pretty much isolated imo.

A lot of people dont really understand that the mafia was actually kinda broke during this period. It's the only reason they initiated the Naples families, and got involved with heroin trafficking.... the families with links to the US were making the most of money...

Was he? I know Antonio Inzerillo and John Gambino were, but Conte too?

Riccardo Cefalu ran the heroin in that crew. Capeci did a good gangland on it. He took directives from Sicily too...

Was he? I know Antonio Inzerillo and John Gambino were, but Conte too?

Riccardo Cefalu ran the heroin in that crew. Capeci did a good gangland on it. He took directives from Sicily too...

https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/02/us/dozens-are-seized-in-new-us-italian-drug-sweep.html

Falcone estimated that the Gambinos and the Inzerillos made 600 miliond a years and in the Iron Tower ring they was selling pure heroin to 200K a kilos and an informer said that a mobster had 1000 kilos hidden in NY.
I thik that was the last profitable drug ring that involved NY families.

In the 1990s there was also Project Omerta, which dealt a severe blow to the Cuntrera-Caruana organization, who's buyers in NY were the Gambinos and Bonannos.

The French Connection was bigger and more profitable. They pretty much had the ports fully under their control in a lot of countries.

yeah, also at that time there were less police pressure in the united states and europe on italian mafia and corsicans

They even worked with CIA (alleged).

At what point did the mafia in Italy become a multi billion dollar enterprise and surpass everyone else? Was it in the 70s(French connection heyday) or 80s(pizza connection)? You are right on, they were relatively poor in comparison to the American families until they got into cigarette smuggling and drug trafficking. I think they learned a lot from the American families.

Was the Ndrangheta involved in the pizza connection? I always only hear about the Sicilians and Camorra.