I wish I remember where I read it...Zeke Squitieri had a beef with the Albanians that resulted in a tense showdown at a gas station, with the Rudaj threatening to blow up the gas station and take them all out. Apparently cooler heads prevailed, and the Albanians backed off.
Shows on one hand how tough they were to risk their own lives in order to prove a point; but at the same time they obviously didn't follow through. It was either in a recent book, or Ganglandnews.com (which I no longer sub to)...so not certain of the source/accuracy.
There's always folks like Zef Mustafa (driver for Frank Locasio, I believe?)...that joined (associate of course, but still...) the 'winning' team of LCN with much success.
In Greece, the country as a whole is hated (much crime in general is attributed to illegal Albanian immigrants into Greece and other nearby Western European countries) maybe not statistically true, but definitely the feelings of the Greeks.
This was in Making Jack Falcone the book and Ganglandnews.
"On those tapes and in surveillance photos, there are glimpses of the bravado that prosecutors say typifies the Corporation. In some of the conversations, prosecutors say, Mr. Rudaj describes his plans to take over Astoria from the Luchese crime family. In others, Corporation members describe beatings they participated in. Surveillance photos show Mr. Rudaj and his associates at the wake of John Gotti.
In court, jurors heard evidence of another gangland showdown between Mr. Rudaj and a Gambino leader. It happened at a gas station in New Jersey, a few days before the fight at Soccer Fever. Arnold Squitieri, then the acting boss of the Gambino family, had sought a meeting with Mr. Rudaj, prosecutors said.
At Mr. Squitieri's signal, about 30 of his men appeared, carrying bats, guns and other weapons, but the Albanians were ready. One of Mr. Rudaj's men put a gun to Mr. Squitieri's head and another pointed a shotgun at a gas pump, threatening to blow everyone up unless Mr. Squitieri's men put down their guns, according to prosecutors.
Mr. Squitieri backed down."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/03/nyregion/03albanian.html?_r=1&scp=15&sq=%22Arnold%20Squitieri%22&st=cse
"One problem that Squitieri had to deal with during the early and mid 2000s (decade) was the challenge of ethnic Albanian gangs to the gambling rackets in Queens. One particular threat was with the Rudaj Organization (or "The Corporation"), run by mobster Alex Rudaj. At first, Gregory DePalma was able to solve minor disputes, but the Corporation became less cooperative over time.
In September 2005, Squitieri arranged a meeting with Rudaj at a gas station in New Jersey. When the Corporation mobsters arrived, 20 armed Gambino men came out to confront them. FBI undercover agent known as Jack Falcone states in his book that Squitieri told the Corporation mobsters, "You took what you took and that's it or there's gonna be a problem." The Gambinos outnumbered the Corporation 20 to 6. Rudaj ordered one of his men to shoot a gas tank if a gunfight ensued. Rudaj eventually listened to reason and stopped interfering with Gambino operations."
- from Making Jack Falcone: An Undercover FBI Agent Takes Down a Mafia Family
