I agree it wont be "like it was before" just like the mafia of 1800 Sicily was not like LCN in NY 1950. It cant be the same because life is different but as the saying goes "some things never change" or 'the more things change the more they stay the same'.
But I disagree that LCN will not flourish. It is a different world now but what we see tomorrow will be different from today. What happens to totalitarian regimes? They collapse under their own weight, and when that happens the parallel structures that have grown up in it's shadow come to the fore.
As far as the technologies being used by law enforcement...all that takes money. And IMO, that money will not be there just like its not there for Mexico. Great law enforcement technologies exist now so why is Mexico being dominated by drug cartels? Because the law enforcement entities do not have access to those technologies...they are broke, and corrupt. Its going to happen here. Not a question of IF but WHEN.
The only thing I'm unsure of is whether LCN will be able to run with the ball or whether they will be over-run and supplanted by other groups. LCN has the advantage of an organized structure, networks, and power already. However it is very possible that they will be overshadowed by Latin or middle eastern groups that are coming in mass waves.
Short of "creating" new illicit marketplaces for them to operate within (because many of their previous rackets are kaput; policy, lottery, dice and card games, slot machines, much of the narcotics field, labor union rackets have been reduced to a mere pittance, truck hijacking and cargo theft a thing of the past, no more porno biz, massive stock frauds have also dwindled significantly, no more credit card thefts, waterfront down the drain, garment district reduced in strength tenfold, etc., etc., etc.)
There are so FEW rackets to run with everybody chasing the same dollar bill, that the market is a microcosm of what it was, yet, there are still thousands of guys looking to eat.
Without a "new" playing field of rackets to run, the rest we speak of is just a pipe dream.
