If it's true, and it looks like it is, it shouldn't surprise anyone. I've always suspected certain top bosses of being top echelons if they appeared themselves to have a narcotics operation, however secret or discreet. Why? Because everyone knows "the G" is behind most if not all of the top drug dealers. Therefore any boss, no matter how legendary, if he appeared to have any narcotics connection, even if it was off shored and outsourced to foreign criminal conspiracies and groups in other countries, that boss likely received immunity from the CIA. You can be a top echelon that the police or DEA don't even know about, it's just that when they go to arrest you, someone always interferes who has higher jurisdiction. I have no proof, but do I believe Carmine Persico was a drug dealer, ultimately? Yes.
Alfa, which bosses do you suspect? Perscio, Genovese, Castellano, Anastasia, and John Ormento, to name a few were all either going to prison for life or had cases and investigations pending. They even framed Genovese in his second conviction. Succeeding bosses in a few examples were also sent away:Gotti, for the Gambino's, Cantena , Salerno and Tieri on the Genovese side, and Carmine Trumanti for the Lucheses. Do you mean bosses in other cites, since all my examples were New Yorkers, or do you mean ones I left out? Perscio did most of the last 50 years of his life in prison, Scarpa (A definite rat) was constantly left alone till the very end.
Sorry for the belated response. So my criterion here is if you are a boss and could possibly have a narcotics connection, you might be a TE. On that list would of course be Carlo Gambino and Paul Castellano. Of course. Carlo and Paul outsourced the selling of junk to "Zips". Everyone knows that. But it was Carlo who was rumored to have a CIA connection. One rumor was that Carlo provided information and ordered hits for the government when they needed it. But the CIA would explain his long successful run as an "untouchable" boss. Proof? I have none. Paul Castellano merely continued the operation.
RE Vito Genovese. Not government connected. Lucky Luciano reportedly said that Vito [by involving himself in drugs] was getting into something "he didn't know a fucking thing about".
RE Gotti. Not government connected. Gotti and everyone connected to him were dealing drugs without CIA immunity. Lucky would say the same thing about them that he said about "stupid Vito". Paul Castellano's hit was a drug war hit. They were drug dealers hitting a drug dealer. Thick headed bunch they were (the entire Gotti junta) .
RE Anastasia. Indirectly linked to the government through the Commission as an Underboss but fell afoul of his peers when he made himself an unelected leader. Anastasia's brother ran the docks of one of the waterfronts, and his brother was a big point man in the importation conspiracy, which I believe "the g" was behind. But Anastasia's brother reportedly only ran the Brooklyn waterfront. There is also a Manhattan waterfront. We don't hear too much about that.
RE Ormento. Yeah. He's listed as part of the French Connection.
RE Lucky Luciano. Connected to the CIA predecessor...Office of Strategic Services. He has all the markings. He was sprung from prison after reportedly doing work for OSS as a type of clemency or reward. The main thing in doubt is if he actually did the work that the government claimed he did, to earn that release.
RE Other bosses. I have no idea. You all have to connect the dots. But like I said, the first clue is narcotics. But everyone at the top of the narcotics trade isn't an insider, only some.
