Let's quote more extensively from Edwards's article:

Some of Iavarone’s underworld ties were south of the border, sources said.

“The recently deceased had ties to New York,” a former police investigator said.

“Buffalo factions of Traditional Organized Crime are not ‘in’ Canada per se, but historically have controlled aspects of Canadian ‘family business’ and do get kickbacks from profits from illicit activity,” Manning said.

Prior to his death, Musitano was owed money from a man involved in gambling who worked for New York State mobsters, a source said.

When he demanded payment or a piece of the gambling operation, he was murdered by a crew of Niagara Region men connected to the gambler, the sources said.

None of the men involved in the Angelo Musitano murder were actual mob members, leaving them vulnerable to retaliation, the source said.

They have already been cut astray by the New York mob, a police source said.

“They have no backing,” the source said.
_______________

Did Iavarone have ties to numerous criminals in the US? only to the Italian underworld in the US? only to the Buffalo underworld? only to a New York City mafia family?

Was the former police investigator being precise when he said Iavarone "had ties to New York"? Or was the source being careful not to mention Buffalo by generally saying "New York" so as to refer to the whole state?

Is Albert Iavarone the gambler who worked for New York State mobsters? Was he related to the gambler? Were the two of them part of the same crime group?

We now know the names of three individuals charged in the murder of Angelo Musitano. Were these three the ones who were cut astray by the New York mob? by mobsters in Buffalo? Were these three individuals in the same crime group as Iavarone? Did Iavarone lose backing by the New York mob? by mobsters in Buffalo?

I think looking at Hamilton/Buffalo, etc. through the lens of American LCN groups is incorrect. It's clear what's going on is involving groups that are structured differently than traditional, LCN groups who have a hierarchy structured like a pyramid. These may not be groups operating in a specific territory like the American LCN. I believe these are groups are more like drug trafficking networks and cut across both territories and mafia allegiances.

So, if there is mafia activity in Buffalo in 2018, to look at Buffalo as structured like a traditional LCN family may be wrong. We don't know if mobsters there include a mix of Todaro, Ndrangheta from Calabria, and Calabrians from Hamilton's families like Violis. Or the made guys flying the Todaro flag may be Canadians aligned with the Violis who were made in Buffalo. When they say "Hamilton answers to Buffalo", we don't really know the full extent of what that means yet: Who in Buffalo? Hamilton gangsters under the Todaro/Buffalo flag or Italian-American made guys in Buffalo?

Same thing with Hamilton: Hamilton seems to have 2 or 3 groups fighting for power right now, but there could also be Bonannos and Gambinos in the area (associates or members) working with some of the groups there.

With busts in New York lately we've seen connections of the Ndrangheta working with the Gambinos, so it's likely there's a decent amount of collaboration for drug trafficking. Which is why we've had reports of Bonannos doing making ceremonies in Canada. When drugs are involved, it's not really about controlling a territory so much as about making connections in several different places and groups in order to facilitate the drug shipments. Cabrini has discussed this several times before, especially when discussing the Partinico faction in Detroit from back in the day (also known as the lower Sicilian group). Similar to how the Cherry Hill Gambinos crew had made guys in both the US Gambino Family and in the families in Sicily.

What were seeing is a continuation of the huge power shift away from the Sicilian Mafia and toward the Ndrangheta. Now with the Rizzuto's weakened (but not completely defeated) in Montreal, their allies in Hamilton.. the Musitanos... are under attack. Even though the Musitanos are Calabrian with connections back to the old country, there's obviously other Ndrangheta groups trying to take control of Toronto and Hamilton seems to be a proxy for the war in Toronto.

From that article that was just posted:

https://www.chch.com/new-details-ma...ium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

New details about the man arrested in connection with the murder of mobster Angelo Musitano.

"Dubro’s mob contacts say Iavarone’s brother is thought to have played a role in Musitano’s murder."

https://www.chch.com/new-details-ma...ium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

New details about the man arrested in connection with the murder of mobster Angelo Musitano.

"Dubro’s mob contacts say Iavarone’s brother is thought to have played a role in Musitano’s murder."

A brother for a brother then. To be continued...

Author and former RCMP analyst Pierre de Champlain said a possibility is that international Italian Mafia organizations such as Sicilian Cosa Nostra and 'Ndrangheta are fighting from abroad to get control over Canada's mafia in order to gain control over drug trafficking.

https://torontosun.com/news/crime/crime-hunter-dont-give-mafia-last-rites-just-yet

CRIME HUNTER: Don't give Mafia last rites just yet

Police have repeatedly alluded to a power struggle among the established Calabrese clans in the GTA and newer ‘Ndràngheta upstarts.

“Many ‘Ndrangheta cells in GTA and Italy are involved in a violent fight,” Dubro said.

“This is a big story of a major and very deadly Calabrian mob fight for coke territory and power in GTA/southern Ontario.”

Dubro adds that it’s all connected. He suggested an Iavarone relative may have pulled the trigger on Ang Musitano and it’s payback on drugs and a personal beef.

“There’s lots of moving parts in this mob war — a complex cast of characters from the GTA, Italy, USA, Mexico and Canada.”

The piece says: "We were a little too quick on the trigger to give traditional organized crime its last rites." "Are we returning to the bad, bloody days of the Mafia"--with a picture of mob hit in upstate NY from 1970. ...“There’s lots of moving parts in this mob war — a complex cast of characters from the GTA, Italy, USA, Mexico and Canada.”...Dead? ...Not by a long shot."

Is the author of this article suggesting the Mob may be behind the Farm Massacre in 2016?

Are we being told the Mob across all its organizations and regions of operations is much more powerful than LE and J had given credit? Or just a little hyperbole to sell copy?

What do you all think? ... Have we not given enough attention to OC? Has it come back with a vengeance not just in Canada, but the US and Southern Italy and Sicily? Anyone hearing rumblings? Anyone else?

Dubro adds that it’s all connected. He suggested an Iavarone relative may have pulled the trigger on Ang Musitano and it’s payback on drugs and a personal beef.

It was just a comment on his twitter account.

https://twitter.com/PdeChamplain/status/1042900011024101378

Wait a second, haven't the actual people directly involved in the Musitano murder been named now, with Cudmore believed to have pulled the trigger? How is he related to Lavarone? I believe they only suggested that his brother was somehow involved but not part of the actual hit squad?

Contrary to the past I'm not that informed about all these details, and there's lots of them this time (which is quite unusual). I guess too much leaked out and they reacted like this in order to keep control over the situation.

It's not so simple. You may be right but you are just going with your first instincts.

If you look at the cases of some of the well-known murders of Canadian mafiosi over many decades--regardless of whether they were made into the American La Cosa Nostra, 'ndrangheta, or Sicilian Cosa Nostra--you would be surprised at who were people of interest but never charged. You would be surprised at who were not people of interest but who were communicating with other mafiosi before and after the murders.

Wait a second, haven't the actual people directly involved in the Musitano murder been named now, with Cudmore believed to have pulled the trigger? How is he related to Lavarone? I believe they only suggested that his brother was somehow involved but not part of the actual hit squad?

Contrary to the past I'm not that informed about all these details, and there's lots of them this time (which is quite unusual). I guess too much leaked out and they reacted like this in order to keep control over the situation.

The hit on Musitano had nothing to do with the Rizzuto family, with all the trouble they're dealing with in Montreal, the last thing they want to do is take out their allies.

The hit squad that took out Ang Musitano are just hired guns, that's it, even if they have ties to Ranieri, they did it for the money and possibly one of them was connected to the person giving them the contract.

Do you guys remember that Sopranos episode where Tony tells Chrisy that they needed to take out Carmine Lupertazzi Sr and Tony asked him to arrange it? Who did Chris go to? A bunch of black thugs. Something similar in nature happened here.

The hit on Musitano had nothing to do with the Rizzuto family, with all the trouble they're dealing with in Montreal, the last thing they want to do is take out their allies.

The hit squad that took out Ang Musitano are just hired guns, that's it, even if they have ties to Ranieri, they did it for the money and possibly one of them was connected to the person giving them the contract.

Do you guys remember that Sopranos episode where Tony tells Chrisy that they needed to take out Carmine Lupertazzi Sr and Tony asked him to arrange it? Who did Chris go to? A bunch of black thugs. Something similar in nature happened here.

https://torontosun.com/news/crime/mcmafia-gta-gangland-murders-linked-to-mob-world-war

McMAFIA: GTA gangland murders linked to mob world war

"Cops believe Ranieri’s demise can be traced to a bloody gang war unfolding in southern Ontario between Calabrese crime clans."

“It’s definitely a Calabrian/’Ndrangheta Mafia War,” well-known mob observer James Dubro told The Toronto Sun. “It’s three or four cells competing for cocaine routes and power in the GTA.