It was really just New York arrogance, and aloofness, if they were serious about maintaining Montreal, they shoulda had Their own man up there like Vito had his in NewYork..
What do you guys think about that Gambino arrest with Lupoi? Are the Bonnanos fronting for the Gambinos, with the Gambinos securing the loads, the Bonnanos taking the heat for both the Gambinos and Canada?
What I've been wondering for the longest is, was that bust a continuation of the Old Bridge operation, where they were basically trying to "reactivate" the Sicilian mob, or did they go where the money goes and do business with the Calabrians?
Like the calabrians had direct ties to Colombia, but they have been usurped by the Mexicans. So how does this all work exactly?
Is it that the Mexicans are trying to move into New York, but can't make inroads with the Dominicans there? Soooo, they form a relationship with the mob to ship Coke outta the country. Here is what I don't get, they have been getting Coke from South America and sending it to Spain, West Africa, that big port in Calabria, what ever one is friendly at the moment,so why do they now need to ship it through New York?
It could be that whatever route they were using has been compromised, so they need a reliable partner in the states to facilitate the deal. This is why I keep asking the question, did Cali replace Rizzuto in the great scheme of Italian American Narcotics trafficking?
He has the pedigree, the stature, the front (his food companies) connections, family ties, ect... Where does the Queens/Calabrian/Genovese thing fit in?
It's like they are making New York, Thier Montreal, a transshipment point for their Coke going out the country....
Any thought on any of this?
The Mexicans have greatly increased their presence in the Northeast in recent years, including New York. Colombians are still the main suppliers in New York City but Mexican and Dominican groups are bigger in the rest of the state. But the Mexicans are now the dominant traffickers as far north as Philadelphia and are the main suppliers of heroin in New Jersey. They've already started supplying Dominican groups in some cases. Both the Colombians and Mexicans still depend a lot on the Dominicans to middle the drugs. This is all according to the most recent NDTA and HIDTA reports. Incidentally, the Colombians simply relinquished control of most of the smuggling into and distribution within the US to the Mexicans, choosing to take the safer, more insulated role of manufacture and supply.
The Mexican cartels formed partnerships with the Ndrangheta because it knows the lay of the land in Europe and controls distribution routes. I'm not sure how much, relactively speaking, gets shipped through NY (seems like a big and unnecessary risk) unless NY is the destination. The recent Queens bust that alleged Genovese financing wasnt the first example. Back in 2008 some Genovese associates were also caught up in Operation Solare that targeted the Gulf Cartel and Ndrangheta. The 2014 bust of the Ndrangheta which you mentioned, and included associates of the Gambinos and Bonannos, was similar.
I'm not sure how much there really was to the whole "reactivating the Sicilian drug pipeline" of Old Bridge. That bust did result in both the American LCN and and Italian OC groups being mentioned in the 2009 NDTA but not much since then, including no mention at all in the 2015 report. The Gambinos are still involved in the drug trade as much or more than any other family but I don't think Cali taken Rizzuto's place in that respect.
